New Start
by Amplify. Your. Imagination
Summary: 'It was the past, though it still hurt to think about. Think about the dead look in my mom's eyes, the crazed one in the man I had considered father all my life.' Bella Swan is getting a new start, a new life, maybe even find love on the way.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

It was the past. It still hurt to think about. Think about the dead look in my mom's eyes, the crazed one in the man I had considered father all my life. He wasn't father to me anymore. Hasn't been since that night. I was only nine when it happened. What kind of monster believes _God_ would tell him it was alright? To hurt someone so badly?

I will forever bear the scares that he littered over my body with his blade. There are so many, I lost count now. They were almost all covered with a tattoo of some sort, though.

But life goes on, pain is only a part of it.

But now, I'm leaving. Finally, I can leave this nightmare that has been my life for the past six years. Start new. I had always known that it would happen…..eventually. I knew what I was. Mom had made sure I knew, even is she hadn't used it since the day she left. She made sure I read all her old books from school, once I could read, and always when he was at work.

When I got the letter, I knew it was long overdue, but I didn't care. It was my salvation.

My name is Isabella Marie Swan, and I am 16. I live in Fort Worth, Texas, and now, I'm headed for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Wish me luck.

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** Well, what do you think? Ideas are very much welcomed. So if you have any ideas or opinions, click that little review button down at the bottom the screen. But be gently. This is my first story. **

**Anyway, I will have the next chapter up later this evening. And I will try to update this every weekend, but I don't want to mkae any promises that I am not sure I can keep.**

**I hoped you liked this. Add to favs and alerts and all that good stuff.**

**Thank you,**

**Kitkat**


	2. Chapter 2

**DIsclaimer: I**** don't own Harry Potter or Twilight.**

**I am not paid for any of my writing on this sight**

My escape had been easy. I had been prepared with a backup plan if need be, but with Jasper's help everything went smoothly. I was finally here. I had talked to Headmaster Dumbledore via Jasper's fire place, and he said I would be put through a few tests to determine if I would be put in my 6th year or not. He asked me to come down about a week before school started, and I readily agreed. If it got me away from Charlie sooner rather than later, I was all for it. I had flooed there through said fireplace, didn't like the floo by the way.

The tests had been easy enough. I had learned wandless magic first, which shocked them all I'm sure, so doing the magic was easy enough. I was done with each written test about a half hour after it was given to me because I had memorized most of the spells, charms, and potions I had access to by the time I was thirteen. When it was over, they had all agreed that I would start my 6th year with everyone else, even Professor Snape, and be sorted the day school started.

Speaking of Snape, The moment I saw him, I knew who he was. He looked just like he did in my mom's memories, maybe just a little older. He had a hooked nose, black piercing eyes, and jet black hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck. I had dark brown, almost black hair, layered, that fell in slight waves down my back, when it wasn't straightened that is, bangs cut to drape over my forehead, the end of my eyebrow, and meld in with the rest of it. My eyes were black, except a ring on the outside of my pupil, which was light brown, like my mom's. Thick black eyeliner was rimmed all the way around my eyes. The only differences in genetics that I could see were our noses. I knew that he had no idea that I was his daughter, though. I had no intentions of telling him, either. He didn't want me then, he wouldn't want me now. He obviously thought my Texan drawl was annoying anyways. But who cares, the vampiric dungeon bat.

I was given my own room, for the time being, and was told by Professor McGonagall, a stern looking woman that kept her hair in a tight bun atop her head with slight crows feet and laugh lines, that I could go anywhere I wanted as long I stayed out of the Forbidden Forest, and of course the few hallways restricted. I barely refrained from saying something sarcastic about that being a stupid thing to say, seeing as it had forbidden and restricted in the name. Common sense lady, common sense.

Hogwarts grounds were definitely the biggest place I had ever been before. There were so many towers and hallways that I knew I would never get bored here. Although, you know when you get that feeling that the paintings are watching you, their eyes following your every move? Yeah, well Hogwarts had talking portraits, and their eyes really did follow you. That would definitely take some getting used to.

I also met a lot of the professors. Hagrid, the grounders keeper, was some sort of half giant. He stood about 5 feet taller than my 5"4 had really long and tangles mass of hair on his head and his chin, and wore a dragon hide sweater thing over his protruding belly. But even with his size, he was a real teddy bear. I liked him instantly. Professor Flitwick, the charms teacher, was a trip. He was the exact opposite of Hagrid. He's a goblin, so he is tiny, wore a suit most of time, and had a simple mustache on his upper lip. I thought it would be funny with him as a teacher. Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher, scared me. Not much scares me anymore, but something just wasn't right about that woman, with her glassy eyes, and big old lady glasses. Yeah, like she was a true seer. I knew a true seer, and she wasn't even close. Not everybody future is going to end in the next 2 years. It just wasn't happening. They were a few other teachers that I met; I didn't care to remember their names.

I had only gone through maybe half of the school when the week ended. I spent that day holed up in my room packing my things. The house elves could have done it, but I had personal things in there. I didn't want those little elf things rummaging through my stuff. I had already had one start to pound its head against the door when I told it, Winky I think, that I would pack my own things, thinking that she had done something wrong I guess.

I stayed in the shadows as the students of all sizes, genders, races, etc. filled into through the main entrance. You could feel the magic check every student that walked through the door for signs of anything suspicious. There were so many people. I had never been good around people, immediately getting defensive when asked a question. I hadn't trusted anyone since I was nine. It was an instinct that I loathed to the very core of my being, but it was there. No one would know that I was nervous though. I was awesome at hiding my true feelings behind a mask that almost never left my face.

Dumbledore gave a speech after the original sorting ended and before the feast would take place, I was standing outside the door to hear when I should enter the room. Before he made the food appear he had one last announcement to make.

"Students, we have a special case on our hands. It appears that there was a girl in America that was never sent her letter until just this summer. Her mother went here, so she was never put in the American wizarding community. She will be put in her 6th year, so please do your best to make her feel welcome. Miss Swan, come in."

I swung the doors open and walked in with my head held high, eyes surveying the entire room in one fell swoop. They were all gawking at me like I was an alien from outer space, but it didn't surprise me much. I mean, I was wearing a pair of black knee-high combat boots, loaded with my favorite knife on the right and another on the left, hidden of course, my dark skinny jeans tucked into them, a black shirt with short sleeves that had been slashed with a pair of scissors to hang there in tatters, thick black eyeliner, a lip ring that looped over my lip on the right side of the bottom one, a spiked bracelet on my right wrist and a studded on my left, with a long slash from Charlie's knife on my left cheek, the fierce, yet somehow impassive, mask never once leaving my face. Yeah, I probably did look like a freak to them.

Their eyes followed me up to the podium that Dumbledore was standing at next to a tall hat with a mouth on it. Dumbledore instructed me to sit on the stool next to him, then, once I was seated, placed the hat on my head.

The first thing that came from its mouth was a gasp. "Oh dear, you are too young to have to have lived through all of the trauma that you have had to endure." I heard this in my mind. I'll admit it was a tad freaky, yet slightly cool.

"Yeah, I know. But I can't change the past; I just have to hope for a brighter future."

"Well then, let us get down to business, shall we? Though you have studied as much as possible in the past, you don't thirst for knowledge enough to be put in Ravenclaw. You are loyal to those who can earn your trust; you would still put yourself first if it came down to it, and so Hufflepuff wouldn't be a good choice. When you love, you love wholeheartedly, very trustworthy but not trusting at all, you tend to hold grudges more often than not. You are cunning when the need may arise, and you think before you act, about all the possible outcomes and consequences. You also happen to be a pureblood. All these qualities are leaning more towards the Slytherin side rather than Gryffindor. But, I'll tell you what. I'll let you choose which one you would rather go to. But, a fair warning, the snakes are rather cruel when they don't trust you, or they are afraid of you. Just be careful in your choice."

I sat there thinking over what the hat had said. Contemplating for only a moment, realizing from what I had read about snakes, that my qualities did lean more towards the Slytherin side. I didn't trust easily, though snakes weren't very trustworthy all that often, I attacked when I felt threatened or trapped. When you earned my trust, you had it all the way, until you betrayed it, then you never got it back.

I had made my decision.

Of course, the hat knew this, too.

"SLYTHERIN!"

It was deadly quiet as I made my way towards my new house, my boots silent against the concrete floor. I sat the farthest away from everyone as I could, not wanting to fight if I didn't have to. The food appeared and everyone slowly got their bearings back and started to eat, the Slytherins obviously more cautious than the other houses. I guess it was a good thing that I had hardened myself to all the stares and shit a long time ago, or I would have been greatly offended. Humph.

I only ate a little bit, not having much of an appetite what with the eyes I could still feel on my back. I turned my head to look around and realized that everyone was staring at me. Huh, no wonder it was still so quiet in here.

I cocked an eyebrow and said in a silky voice that had terrified many before, "Can I help y'all with something?"

That got them all to look away.

Once dinner was over, I followed my other housemates to the dungeons, and the other years, except the first timers, went up to their dorms. We all sat in the common room with Snape in front of us. He was currently saying something about staying out of trouble because the mistakes we made fell on him and blah, blah, blah. I wasn't a kid. Just because I was new here didn't mean I was a fucking child.

It was soon over and I went up to the 6th year girls' dorm room. All the conversations stopped as I entered the room. Their eyes again followed me as I went to where I knew the house elves had moved my stuff. Just because I had wanted to pack my own stuff, didn't mean I would let them bring it hear for me. I got my toiletries, toothbrush brush, hair brush, and my pajamas, a half t-shirt that stopped just below my rib cage, and a pair of flannel pants, and headed for the bathroom. I would shower in the morning.

Once I was done I went back to my bed, makeup removed, lip ring in my little jewelry box, and dirty clothes in hand, but before closing my curtains, I turned around to all the still gawking faces and said, "It's rude to stare, you know. Next time, actually say something." I turned back around, closed the hangings around my bed, and, seeing as I wouldn't get my wand for another two weeks during Hogsmeade weekend, I did some wandless magic for a silencing spell and an especially strong locking charm that would only come off if I said the counter spell on them.

Once I was laying down, I took out my mom's picture from under my pillow where I had stuffed it and whispered into the darkness, "Well mom, I'm finally home. I hope you would be proud of me, were you still here. I miss you mama. I love you." I kissed the picture and slipped it back under my pillow. I hadn't cried over her death, no murder, in a while.

But tonight I did. I cried for the time I lost with her, and the fact that I couldn't see her for real anymore. I cried because I missed her. I cried until I fell into a restless sleep.

I woke up the next morning, at about 4:30. I never slept very long, hadn't for six years, the longest time probably being about 5 hours and even then it wasn't good sleep. I got up, got the new uniform I was given, a button down white blouse, black trousers, and a silk green and silver tie, and my rob with the Slytherin crest on the left side, and my knee high black converse. They might not match the outfit but I refuse to wear heals in school.

I emerged from the shower about 20 minutes later, clean and smelling good. I brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, parted it, spelled it dry and straight, and proceeded to dress. I put my lip ring in first, though. I had always had a strange addiction to soft lingerie, that matched, against my hairless flesh, because body hair had always made me feel dirty, and I had never known why. You never would be able to guess what I wear underneath my clothing by just looking at me though. I had always prided myself in being one big contradiction. At times I would even wear a sports bra with color matching underwear.

I slipped on my black, lacy, boy shorts and my matching half cup bra. Seeing as I only wore my garters and garters belts on special occasions, like when I had to wear heals, I was done with that part. On came the trousers, the blouse, the tie, then the converse, and boy was I glad they zipped up the back. Lastly was the rob, and just as it went on over my head, someone walked into the bathroom.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone else was up," she said. There was a hint of surprise lilting her voice, but she masked it well.

"Yeah."

We stood there in silence for a moment, her rather awkwardly, me not really caring she was there. She was the first to crack.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson."

I turned around to face her, she had her hair up in a bun but it was a pretty brown, a pug like nose, a thin mouth, and perfectly arched eyebrows. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was pretty in her own light.

I held my hand out for her to shake and said, "I'm Bella Swan. Nice to meet you."

She took my hand, with a surprisingly firm grip, shook it once before letting go. Then she turned to start the shower. Once she was waiting for the water to get hot, she looked at me.

"So, where in America are you from?"

"Texas."

"Oh, is your…style common there?" I could hear the condescension in her tone, but chose to ignore it.

"Nope." I said popping my 'p.'

"Hmmm….Then why exactly do you where things like that?"

"Because, who in the hell wants to be like everyone else? Being unique is what defines who you are. You try to be like something that your not, all you're doing is losing yourself."

She didn't say anything for a minute, but when she did, her question shocked me.

"What would you say to sitting with my friends and I at lunch?"

"Um….I guess. What harm could it do?"

"Great. What class do you have before lunch? I have Arithmancy."

"As do I."

"Well then this will be easier than I thought."

I had left the bathroom that morning at about 5:30 because Pansy and I had talked for a little while longer about nothing of consequence. We were still slightly cautious around one another, but I was willing to venture to being closer than acquaintances but not friends either. But we had two years. What was the rush?

I ate a bagel with honey on it with a cup of coffee for breakfast, again sitting the farthest away that I could. I could still feel peoples' eyes on me, so I got the hell out of there before to many more people showed up.

My first class was Advanced Potions. I had that three times a week. Then Arithmancy twice a week. Today and Wednesday. Free period I had all week right after lunch. Then Divination also all week right after my free period. If school was like this back in Texas, more kids would actually show up.

I realized that I was excellent in potions, must take after my father, and I really loved the class, despite said father being the teacher. I think it was because I liked to cook and measuring is a main part in potions.

I went to Arithmancy next. When I discovered it had to do with numbers, I swear I almost couldn't contain my excitement. I had always been a math nerd in school, and numbers charts had to have something to do with math. Pansy surprised me again by waving me over to sit next to her.

"Hello."

Hmmm...

"Hi."

"I didn't want Bulstrode sitting here."

Ahhh, now that made sense.

I just nodded.

Class was over quickly after that, and yes, it was like math in certain ways, and not in others. Pansy and I made our way to the Great Hall, where she said the guys were already there. She led me to the center of the table and sat down next to a dark skinned boy with plump lips, a big smile and a slim face. She motioned for me to sit next to a boy with a head of platinum blonde hair. It was all I could see, other than an adorable left ear, because his head was turned away.

Wait. _What the fuck?_ I never use the word adorable about anyone but babies. What could have possible possessed me to say it about this boys ear?

I was pulled from my thoughts by Pansy's voice.

"Guys this is Bella."

The boy Pansy had sat next to, I learned, was Blaise Zabini, he was Italian. Then there were Vincent Crabbe, he was quite a pudgy one with a pig nose and thin lips, Gregory Goyle, he had a weird hair line, a large nose, not to pig like, and neither of the two had much brains to speak of. Then came Theodore Nott, spiked black hair, a straight nose, though rounded at the tip, and a strong jaw line. Lastly, there was Draco Malfoy.

He had the most beautiful sterling grey eyes that twinkled in the light, a pointed face that made him look just the right amount of feminine and pouty lips that I could kiss all day everyday and never tire of.

Then he smiled at me. It wasn't a mocking type of smile, oh no, it was much worse. It was perfect.

"Hello." I could drown in the voice. It was like a beautiful melody the I wanted to hear saying my name in throes of passion. And his accent only made it worse.

Oh no. This isn't good. This isn't good at all. _The throes of passion?_ I haven't thought about anything sexual…..well ever. The thought of sex had always repulsed me after him. Now I wanted to be with Draco in that way? No. Oh hell no.

I came to a terrifying realization.

I was going to fall in love with this boy, almost man, if I wasn't careful. And one thing I was almost positive of, was that I would be that naïve little girl and fall fast and hard.

And most likely end up with my heart broken in the end.

Right then, I hoped that my mask was still firmly in place, because I had a feeling that it would be coming down sooner than I would like.

**Well here it is, just like I promised. I hope you all like it. I will say again that I will try to update at least once every weekend, but I am not making any promises that I might not be able to keep. **

**I love getting reviews and opinions, but gently if you please. This is my first fanfic. **

**Thank you all so much.**

**Kitkat**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys here it is. Just like I promised. Anyways, there is something I didn't do that I should have in the earlier chapters, but I will do it now.**

_**WARNINGS: Graphic child abuse and rape, mentions of slash and femme-slash, massive cursing, cutting (possible), oh yea and sex. Probably not anytime soon, but it will be there.**_

**So there it is. I am sorry to the people who will stop reading this because of someof these topics, but I have a very disturbed mind, and it needed to be released somewhere. I hope you all continue to read through this, but I will understand if you can't. Thank you and on with the story.**

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I wasn't sure how long I sat there just staring at him without saying anything, but I really hoped it hadn't been and overly long time.

"Hey." I had to look away from those damn sparkling eyes. They were fucking mesmerizing.

"So Bella, Pansy told us you were from Texas." Blaise interjected, probably to get rid of the awkward silence that had formed around us. Damn it, Draco and his god damn dazzling skills. Grrr.

"Yup. Born and raised. Can't you tell, darlin'?" I laid my accent on thick, chuckling as I saw all their faces light up with recognition. I hated my accent but there really wasn't much I could do about it, I already hid it as best as I could.

"Damn."

"Yeah I know."

"What is your schedule, anyway?" Theo asked.

Talk about a subject change.

"Advance Potions, Arithmancy, a free period, and then Divination."

"That's it? That sure isn't fair." Pansy spoke up.

"Hmm. I read a lot about what I needed to know throughout the years. But I do have to take Transfigurations, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts all next year, but that's it."

The conversation kind of died off from there, and they all started to talk on their own. I heard bits and pieces, but I had instinctively tuned out the conversation around me. I used to do it a lot.

"God, Potty has been so upset since he lost his dog father, there is really no use taunting him anymore. It is no fun." Crabbe was talking to Draco I think.

That sparked my interest.

"Who is 'Potty'?"

"You haven't heard of Harry Potter?" Draco asked dubiously.

"No. Should I have?"

"We're just shocked you haven't heard of him. Half the people here worship the ground he walks on because of some stupid prophecy that says he has to kill the Dark Lord, or be killed by him, but neither can live if someone other than one of them kills the other. All because when he was a baby, his mother put a blood protection spell on him, and the Dark Lord's Avada Kadavra came back at him. His body had been destroyed, but his soul had lived, and now he is back, reincarnated by Potter's own blood, ironically."

"What does he expect everyone to bow down to him or some shit? 'Cause I don't bow down to anybody."

Pansy took that one, "No, he doesn't. He claims that he hates the attention, but he always finds something to bring more around him."

"And this Dark Lord person? Who the hell is he?"

"He is the ruler of the dark. He believes that no mudbloods should be in the wizarding world, and purebloods should rein over all of the other wizards. We purebloods should rise up to our rightful place here." Crabbe answered arrogantly. I was almost sure there was more to it than that, but I wouldn't be asking dumbo over there for the more extensive version of the story. Besides, I didn't really care. This dark lord person sounded like a dumbass who believed he could take over a place with a population of more people than he could take willing to fight against him, and is hiding scared, but would never admit to being a good-for-nothing coward. But I didn't say that out loud. Why offend someone when I didn't have to?

"What did you say his name was?"

They all seemed to tense up at the same time, and I wondered what the hell I had said wrong. I got my answer when Draco spoke.

"No one with any sense of self-preservation says the Dark Lord's name."

There goes that whole coward thing again.

"Hmm. Okay, whatever. Back on Harry Potter. What did you mean by 'dog father'?" I had a feeling I wasn't going to like this answer.

Goyle took this one, the brave, stupid boy, "The Dark Lord killed his parents when he was a baby. His god father was killed before last year was over by one of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. Potter has been a cry baby ever since."

That shit got my blood boiling.

"You think it's alright to make fun of someone's dead parents?" My voice had gone deadly quiet and my face was stony. I knew how it felt to have your dead family members thrown in your face, and this boy had obviously been through a lot. My heart had softened for him and I didn't even know him. And believe me, it was hard as hell to soften the walls around that fucking organ.

The idiot just didn't know when to shut up did he? "Potter deserves it. It's not like he didn't have whatever he wanted when he was growing up. He needs to stop being a whiny baby."

Oh hell no.

I reached across the table and grabbed the collar of his robes, pulling his face only inches from mine, "You listen to me closely because I won't repeat myself. If I ever hear you talking someone's dead, imprisoned, ill or whatever else they may have going on, family members again, I will personally cut of your dick, and shove it so far up your ass it will come out your throat. Get me?" My voice never went any higher than my deadly whisper and my facial expression never changed. No one would talk about family like that, whether it be yours or someone else's, because it fucking hurt when you lost them, and to have it thrown in your face every day that they are gone, sucks even worse.

For an idiot, he knew when danger to his dick was real of not, "Of course. I'm Sorry."

I let him go, and stood up, "That goes for all of you," and I looked everyone in the eye so they knew I was fucking serious, before grabbing my things and went in search of the library. I had a free period next.

I hadn't had a chance to look for the library, so finding it in this huge castle, with no god damn signs to point you in the right direction, turned out to be a bigger feat than expected.

I hated asking for directions, but it appeared as if that was exactly what I was going to have to do. A girl with bushy, blondish brown hair, thin lips, and a slight button nose, was walking in the opposite direction as me, and by the looks of all the books she was caring, she might be someone who could help me.

"Hey," She looked a little startled that I was speaking to her, before she blushed pink. Cute, I hadn't blushed in years.

"Do you know where the library is?"

Her entire face seemed to light up, "Actually I was headed there now, I could show you if you'd like."

"Awesome, lead the way."

We walked in silence for a minute, before she decided it had to be broken with voices.

"I'm Hermione Granger. What's your name?"

I snickered quietly. Like she didn't know.

I smirked at her, "Bella, nice to meet you, darlin'."

There went that blush again. I rolled both ways, but I could tell she wasn't my type. Hmm, but it would be kind of interesting to see how many times I could make her blush this year. I would have to keep track.

I snickered inside me head. Oh, this was going to be fun.

She didn't say anything after that.

After we twisted down so many damn hallways, I would have gotten lost had I not been mapping my way so I would know how to get back, we came up on a set of double doors. She pushed them open and walked in, me after her, and I swear, my fucking jaw hit the floor.

This place was fucking huge! There were books everywhere. I knew I must have died and gone to heaven, because this place was like a dream come true.

"I know how you feel. When I was in my 1st year, I couldn't believe how many books were here. I practically lived here trying to read all of them."

I had forgotten she was there. I shook my head, "Yeah. I think I love this place. Dreams really do come true."

She laughed, and I had to admit, it was a nice sound. She looked like one of those girls that likes someone, but never tells then she does, but she didn't strike me as straight either. It was kind of funny how easy she was to read. I wondered if all Gryffindors were like this.

She asked if I would like to sit with her, and I agreed because maybe she could tell me more about where books were located. Preferably the yearbooks from….'82 and '85. Mom and Severus's years.

"Hey, do you know where the yearbooks are?"

"Yeah, come with me."

To her credit, she didn't ask any questions. She just led me around the library, through shelves, and around corners. I was going to love it here, by the way.

She stopped suddenly, and dropped into a crouch, motioning for me to do the same. She pointed at a row of books, which I quickly realized were what I was looking for.

I looked through the years, damn they started early, and after over 200 years worth of yearbooks, I found 1982 and 1985.

I followed her back to her table in the back, books in hand, and sat across from her.

I decided to open up daddy dearest's first, to get it over with. I blew the dust off the cover; no one looked through these apparently, and opened it carefully.

I looked for an index, found one, looked for Severus Snape, and flipped to page 200. And there he was, he wasn't smiling, but when did he ever, and he was dressed in his usual black, hair pulled into a pony tail at his nape.

But the strangest thing happened. When he caught sight of me looking at him, his entire face seemed to melt from his scowl, his eyes softened and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. It was incredible; it was like he was letting his guard drop, even if it was a picture.

I could feel my eyes miraculously tear up. Why didn't he want me? I needed him, and he had sent my mom away when she told him. It had never ceased to make me angry, but now that I looked at this picture, all I could feel was longing. A deep seated need to have my daddy hold me. I wanted a real father, my real father. I sighed, and if I did tell him, and sent me away again, I would die inside. I wouldn't put myself in that kind of position. I wouldn't be that fucking vulnerable. No way in hell.

I took one last look at the smile I would probably never see again, because I'll be damned if you could get that man to smile now, I would give you a million dollars, and with a sigh closed the book.

I looked up discreetly, noting that Hermione was to deep into her book to notice what I was doing, and opened up mom's year book.

I found her in the index under her maiden name, Renee Dwyer, seeing as she had married that fucking bastard muggle, and named me after the asshole, and found her on page 125.

I was shocked at how young she looked in the picture. She had half of her light brown almost blonde hair in a clip, and the bottom half fanned out on her shoulders and around her face. She had more color to her cheeks than I had ever seen, and she looked….happy.

She smiled up at me, reached her hand out, as if to touch me, and moved her lips around words that looked like 'I love you baby girl' but I couldn't be sure.

"Is that your mom?"

The question caused me to jump, which pissed me off, but I looked over to find Hermione looking at the book with me.

"Why the fuck do you want to know?" I was getting defensive, and my voice sounded harsher than I had intended. So I immediately felt like shit when I saw her flinch away from me. I sighed. Pesky emotions. I hated them all.

"Sorry. Yeah she's my mom."

"She's beautiful. Now I know where you get it from." Blush.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. I knew she wasn't straight.

I smiled softly at her, "Thank you. I miss her."

"What happened to her?"

I did **_not_** want to talk about this.

"I don't really want to talk about that." There was no use being a bitch to her. She didn't know.

"Oh, alright, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here." She put her hand over mine.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. Sorry.

I just nodded.

Thankfully, we were saved from this awkward moment by the bell. Ha, get it. Saved By the Bell. I really hated that show.

"Who do you have next?"

"Divination."

"So do I."

"Awesome," was my reply as I followed her from the library.

Divination sucked. Professor Trelawney had decided that everyone would die within the next few years, and that she and Snape would have to repopulate the wizarding world. I snorted loudly at that comment, this woman was bat shit crazy, causing everyone stare at me again. Though they had only just fucking stopped for Christ's sake.

"Ms. Swan, is there something that you would like to say?"

Yep.

Oh maybe something like, "Professor Snape would never touch you." That got a reaction out of the entire class, as they all started snickering behind their hands, some out right laughing. Yea, I was funny.

She glared at me, "Well, I have never met such a rude child in my entire life."

That's funny because she looked like she was from the time Jesus walked on water. I didn't say that out loud.

"I was raised in Texas. We don't have manners for people we don't respect." That was true. I didn't respect the way she taught, so therefore, there was no respect for her. Sorry 'bout your luck chump.

"Detention with Professor Snape, Ms. Swan." Bitch.

"Whatever."

She kept glaring at me throughout the rest of class, as she probably would for the rest of the year. And I could almost guarantee what I said would be around school by dinner.

My detention wasn't for another week, I didn't know why, but whatever. The longer I have to wait, the better.

My assumptions had been correct, however. When I walked into the Great Hall for dinner, a 3rd year Gryffindor came up to me, asking me if I had really said that to Professor Trelawney.

"Yep." I only hoped that it had actually gotten to him as it happened, not someone else's fucked up version.

I was about to sit at the farthest end of the table, when a hand caught my left elbow. I looked over my shoulder, seeing a relative hefty girl, about my age, a button nose to small for her face, and thin lips, to red for her skin complexion. Something told me this was Millicent Bulstrode.

"You're the new girl, Isabella right?" If her voice got any sweeter, she would rot her teeth. And she was a horrible faker.

"Bella."

"No you're really not, but anyway I was coming to tell you to stay away from Draco, he's mine."

This, fat blob of a waste of skin, thought she could insult me, and then tell me what to do? Oh fuck that.

"It would be in your best interest if you let go of my elbow." My voice was dropping.

She just squeezed tighter in retaliation. By then, the entire Slytherin table had gone quiet, trying to hear what was being said, and everyone else would soon notice and do the same.

"If you don't want to get your ass owned in front of everyone you know, you should let go."

Her hand again got tighter. She was either trying to goad me into hitting her, so I could get into trouble, or she really didn't know what I was capable of.

"I'll only let go if you tell me you'll stay away from him. Either you can do it willingly, or I will make you."

She thought she could take me, and she really had no idea just what I had been through, what I had had to do to defend myself. I could kill her in less than 30 seconds, I had the knife in my boot to do it too. And I was losing my patience, fast.

Now you could hear a pin drop everything was so quiet. Why the hell didn't one of the staff members come to see what the hell was going on? I mean, unless they want a student in the hospital wing, they needed to hurry up.

"Let go, Millicent. You don't want to fuck with me."

"Oh but I-"

She didn't get to finish that sentence.

Four things happened simultaneously, I drew back my fist, swinging it forward into her nose, there was a loud crunch before she screamed a blood curdling scream, she moved her hands up to her hold her nose, causing her to let go of my arm, and one of the dim-witted professors finally realized something was wrong.

I pushed her away from me, into the wall behind her, and walked out of the Great Hall. I wasn't hungry anymore.

I walked as far away from everyone as I could, which happened to lead me to a staircase that I remembered seeing when I first got here, but never went up. I discovered it was the Astronomy Tower. As I walked in, I looked around, taking in what was up here. I didn't see anything, but I could never be too careful. I walked farther in, and I saw a figure sitting a glassless window ledge, facing out.

"Hey."

He jumped, startled, and if I hadn't been standing as close as I was, I wouldn't have caught him before he fell.

I helped him right himself, and then I got a good look at him. He had jet black hair, a lithe body although very short and thin, and he was pretty cute, he had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead but one thing though caught my attention the most. It was the look in his eyes. It was dead. He had no life in those beautiful emerald eyes. It was so wrong.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Harry." Oh. Now I knew why he looked and sounded so dead. I didn't let on thought.

"I'm Bella. Nice to meet you."

He hummed before going back to sit on the window ledge.

"You look upset. You want to talk about it?"

"I don't know you. And I don't trust Slytherin."

"Hey not all Slytherin are bad. And besides, sometimes it helps to talk to someone unbiased."

He looked contemplative for a minute, before he relented. I sat down next to him on the ledge, and waited patiently for him to find the words.

"I just lost the only person I had left as my family. Sure I have friends, but no one can replace him."

"Who is him?"

He scrutinized me again, before saying, "My god father, Sirius Black."

I knew that name. He had been my mom's cousin. My grandmother hadn't been acknowledged in her mother's family, except by her mother, and she had been Sirius' mother's sister. She had had my mom, when she was about 30. My mom had gone to school with Sirius, said they were pretty close, though she hadn't liked the way he and James Potter, Harry's biological father obviously, had treated Severus. That meant that I was his cousin, or 2nd cousin or whatever, I never cared about that type stuff.

"How did he die?" I asked softly. You never talked about things like this in any other type of voice.

"He was hit with a curse that caused him to fall into the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. He's dead." And it sounded like he took you with him, Harry.

Something didn't seem right about this. Hadn't I read about that Veil thing? It took souls into it or something. I thought they had to be dead people though. Hmm….I silently vowed to find out.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I know what it's like to lose the only person you can call your parent."

Harry looked at me then. He stared into my eyes, probably trying to see if I was lying of not.

"Who?"

"I never had a father, except the muggle bastard my mom married but she died when I was 9. I haven't been the same sense." Okay so I was leaving out massive chunks of traumatic experience, but he didn't need to know my life story. And besides, I doubted he could take any more burdens right now.

He nodded, and hesitantly lifted his hand, as if to put it over mine, before he realized what he was doing, and put his hand back down.

So I put my hand over his, "Hey, tell you what. We'll meet here every night round this time or maybe a little later, and we will talk about our feelings and shit. How's that sound?" I chuckled slightly about my little jab at teenage girls, even though I was one, but whatever.

Harry nodded. I could tell we were going to be good friends. Better friends than I will ever be with any of the Slytherins.

Though I did have the hope that Draco and I could be more, I doubted he would want me anymore if he ever found out about my dirty little secrets.

Damn, I hadn't meant to get myself depressed. Here I was trying to comfort someone in need, and I sucked at that too. Well, maybe we needed each other. I could be his confidant and he mine. I looked at him, and knew he wouldn't be any more than a brother to me, and I would help him in any way I could. Including doing as much research as possible about the Veil in the Department of Mysteries.

I thought back on Draco for a minute, wondering if he would ever give me a chance. I mean I scared the hell out one of his friends, when he had done it too, I broke a girl's nose who said Draco was her's, and if he knew about the shit I had been through, he would think I was used up, dirty, and damaged goods just like I did. Who the hell in their right mind would want me?

But a girl can dream can't she?

* * *

There you go. A little bit more of a hint into Bella's past. Plus the warnings should also give some good hints. Anywho, as always tell me what you think.

I will try to have a new chapter for Unrequited Love up by tomorrow, but I have a huge science project I have to do, so we will see. But iff not tomorrw, it will be up by Tuesday at the latest. I can't leave you guys hanging to long now can I?:P

Love,

Kitkat


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! So here it is. And just before Halloween. Anyways, this will sort of hint at what happens later on.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in the story. Not the song, that belongs to Breaking Benjamin, and Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling's.**

**Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyers.**

_Dream  
_**_Paragraph from book._**

**On with the story...**

* * *

It was about 10 o'clock when I made it back to the common room, and I wasn't the least bit surprised to see Snape sitting with Bulstrode, apparently waiting for me. I resisted the urge to roll me eyes at the obviously fake look of misery on her broken nosed face. Though I did snicker a little in my head at the sight of my handiwork.

The only fucked up part was that Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco were there as well; I didn't want Draco there but I doubted he would leave.

"Miss. Swan, they are here as witnesses, though I haven't gotten their stroies; I would like to hear yours first," he sneered at me.

Dick.

I wasn't one who you would boss around, so I took my sweet ass time. I strolled to a vacant armchair, sat down and got comfortable, folding my hands in front of my abdoman and met my head of house's eyes.

"Whatya wanna know?" I was being a smart ass. I knew it, he knew it, but I didn't care; I was innocent. I had been provoked, and assaulted first.

Snape sighed, "Miss. Swan, just tell me what happened."

"She walked up behind me, and grabbed my elbow. I told her to let go, and she kept running her mouth and tightening her hand. So I hit her." I didn't want to tell them what she said, no use embarressing Draco like that.

"No! You hit me. I didn't do anything to you," Bulstrode turned to Snape. "She is lying to you, Professor. I didn't touch her."

God, I hated that voice.

I didn't say anything when he looked over at me, just pulled up my left robe sleeve, unbuttoned my cuff, and rolled it up to my elbow; showing them the perfect hand shaped bruise I had discovered earlier.

The expression on Milicent's face was priceless. It was hard not to laugh at the fact she had been proven wrong. Ha!

"Well, I believe you will have to be sent to the headmaster and he will decide your punishment, Miss. Bulstrode. I am taking 50 house points for the fight in general. It appears that I won't be needing your testimony. Now all of you, go to bed." With that, the Professor stood, and pulled Milicent out behind him as he left. The look she sent my way was filled with such hatred, a lesser woman would have coward. But I had seen worse. I could take her any day.

No one made to leave, and we sat in silence for a few minutes. Pansy ended up breaking the silence.

"I don't think this place will ever be boring with you around." She said with a smirk on her lips.

I smirked back at her, "That's what I'm here for. Didn't you know that?"

She laughed at me, "I knew I'd like you."

I rolled my eyes at that and decided to entertain myself for the time being. I looked at the other occupants in the room, and sighed almost inaudibly when I got to Draco. He was so damn beautiful. He looked at me, and our eyes met. I felt like I was looking into his soul, but I was the only one aloud there. I would have done the same, had I been sure he would like what he saw there.

Someone cleared their throat, and I blinked, looking in the direction of the voice. Blaise had a knowing smirk on his face; I glared at him, daring him to say something. He subtly shook his head, indicating he would keep quiet.

I streched my back, with my arms above my head, "Well, I'm going to bed. Night."

I walked up the stairs to the girls dorm; after finishing my nightly routine, I got into bed, kissed my mother's picture, and into my usual restless night''s sleep quickly.

_I stared up at the man who I had considered my father all my life. He was walking towards me, covered in my mother's life source. I was terrified and I couldn't get up, the floor was slippery with my own blood._

_I held my cheek in my hand, trying to think of a way out of here, away from this evil person, from my worst nightmares come true._

_"I had to do it baby. The Lord would have punished me had I let the devil's spawn live. You wouldn't want daddy punished would you?" He had lost his mind. The look in his eyes told me that much. He went on, not waiting for me to answer._

_"And now, I have to make sure you are still pure from the demons that got your mom. But don't worry, pretty girl, I'll make sure they are all gone when I'm done."_

_He started towards me again, only this time, he didn't stop. He never stopped..._

I woke up screaming, with tears streaming down my cheeks. I looked around quickly, making sure I truly was alone. When I knew I was, I didn't try to stop the tears, I just brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs, craddling myself. I hadn't cried in so long, but I couldn't seem to stop them. But, I hadn't had a nightmare for almost 2 years either. I was thankful I had remembered a silencing charm.

Two pictures were suddenly floating in front of me; the one of my mom, and one of Snape. I was glad in that moment that I had a picture of my dad; he seemed to make it go away, like he could make the memories go away. This one moved, seeing as it was taken in the wizarding world. He looked at me, concerned at my tears. I pulled them both to my chest, holding tightly. I wished one of them here to actually hold me. I sat there for who knows how long, but when I checked my iPod, it was 4:30. I sighed. I knew I wouldn't be getting back to sleep tonight.

"You look tired." Crabbe said that morning at breakfast. I wasn't really in the mood for stupidity, or stating of the fucking obvious, but I would be nice. To a point.

"Yeah, I know. I looked in the mirror this morning, thanks." Note the sarcasm.

I brought my cup to my lips, inhaling the lovely aroma of black coffee in the morning. Don't get me wrong, I could drink coffee all day long, but the morning was when it smelled the best. Especially mixed in with the smell of rain that currently came down outside. I loved days like this. It seemed to brighten my mood while it ruined others.

Suddenly, a familiar looking owl came through the window. It was a beautiful white owl, with black tips on his wings and periodically thoughout his feathered body. He was carrying a red letter. Oh shit. I had seen those before. I was going to kill them all.

"Les, what are you doing here?" I asked him as he landed on my outstreched arm.

He hooted softly at me, like he was comforting me; knowing that something shitty was coming my way.

"Oh no. What have they done now?" He just held out his leg to me. I took the envelope from his leg and gave him a piece of bacon from my plate.

"Now go on up to the owlery and rest for a bit. I will bring a letter up to you to take back." I watched Les fly up and out the window, following the other owls.

"I can't stop this once it opens can I?" I asked no one imparticular.

"No," five people said at the same time.

I sighed and set it on the table just as it flew open and in the air.

"Hi Bella! We kow you are going to hate us for this but we don't really care. We just have a song for you to listen to, and we can't really have that in a regular letter now can we? Anyways, I will talk more when the song is over, but we used your words, and I am so excited to get your opinion on the music that I can't wait any longer."

I was going to jail, for brutal homicide. Alice had no idea what she just got herself into. Now everyone was fucking looking at me. Again! But there wasn't much I could do about it now, so I just sat back and listened to the song.

Here I lie forever  
Sorrow still remains  
Will the water pull me down and wash it all away  
Come and take me over  
Welcome to the game  
Will the current drag me down and carry me away  
Suddenly the light begins to fade

HOPELESS  
I'm falling down  
FILTHY  
I can't wake up  
I can not hold on  
I will not let go  
WORTHLESS  
It's over now  
GUILTY  
There's no way out  
I can not hold on  
I will not let go

Silent I go under  
I am not afraid  
I can see the daylight shine  
And slowly drift away  
Safe to say it's over  
Sink into the grave  
There is nothing left inside  
But I am wide awake  
I can hear the devil call my name

HOPELESS  
I'm falling down  
FILTHY  
I can't wake up  
I can not hold on  
I will not let go  
WORTHLESS  
It's over now  
GUILTY  
There's no way out  
I can not hold on  
I will not let go

Sometime during the song, I had started to mouth the words along with Jasper as he sang my lyrics; my fingers moving as if I was playing the guitar. God, I loved it. But I was still going to obliterate them.

"There it is. I hope you like it. Anyway, we all know you are going to kill us when we see you next, so we will leave it here. But we miss you, we can't wait to see you again. Love you, Bells."

Everyone in the Great Hall was looking at me with their mouths hanging open. I guess no one had ever got a howler like that one before.

"That was...interesting." Draco said.

God his voice...

"How many years is it in Azkaban for...5 murders?" I asked, being deadly serious.

Draco hesitated for a minute on that one, "You would recieve the Dementor's Kiss."

"Damn, they're luck I don't want to die."

The morning went by with a bunch of whispers and stares; I just flipped them the bird, and walked with my head help high. These fuckers didn't know me. And they all had to admit, the song was awesome. Some people had even come up to me and told me that.

When my free period finally came after lunch, I sat with Hermione again, "Hey, where can I find books on the Department of Mysteries?"

She froze at the name, "How do you know what that is?"

She sounded harsh, but I had made a promise to help Harry, so I persisted, "Don't worry about it. I just need to know Hermione. I know a few things, but I need to know a little bit more. Please."

She looked into my eyes for what seemed like an eternity and I guess she found what she was looking for because she said, "Fine. But you have to let me help."

"Okay."

She showed me to a section that was blocked off, which was obviously the Resricted section, and snuck in, grabbing books she saw that she thought would help me.

We sat back at the table with at least two stacks of books, all different sizes. We each picked a book and started to read.

I got through most of my books, seeing as how I knew what I was looking for, and I didn't come across anything of importance until the last one I picked up.

"This is it." I said.

Hermione was behind me reading over my shoulder instantly, "What, what is it?"

I pointed out the paragraph I had just read.

**_The Veil is the barrier between the land of the living and the land of the dead. No one can go through it freely, and no one alive can stay. If someone is trapped in The Veil that has a heartbeat, they must be removed withing the first year. If they aren't, they are stuck in darkness for the rest of their natural lives. However, if you wish to remove a person still living from The Veil, you have to have a blood relative under the age 18. They would cut open their right palm, willingly, and say the incantation below. Once this is done, they will let their blod fall to the floor exactly 5 feet away from it, thus opening The Veil, and sending out the one that matches the blood given._**

It went on to say that it had to be below the age of 18 because after that, The Veil didn't consider it pure enough. I didn't pay to much attention to that part though. I was to happy that I was younger than 18.

But, Hermione deflated when she finished reading, "Sirius doesn't have a blood relative under 18."

I smile, a genuine smile, "Yes he does," I said in a sing song voice.

Hermione looked at me for a minute, before realization dawned on her face. She smiled back, before her mood did a 180 and she said, "Tell me how you knew who Sirius was, and what the hell happened in The Veil."

So I told her a little bit about what Harry had told me. She nodded her understanding, and then she perked up.

"We need to go talk to Dumbledore."

We practically ran to Dumbledore's office, her excited because she wanted to help Harry, and me...well I was excited for the same reason, but also because he could tell me more about my mother; the fact that he is related to me alone made me happy.

We stopped at the gargoyle, and after we tried so many different names of candy, I never wanted to eat another piece of candy again, the gargoyle moved, and the headmaster himself was behind waiting for us.

"Come in, girls. I bet you have some good news for me."

I didn't ask how he knew we had good news, just followed him up the stairs and into his office.

He sat down behind his desk and motioned for us to sit down as well. He offered lemon drops and tea, but when we both declined, he got to the point.

"You have discovered away to free Sirius from The Veil."

"How much do you know?" I asked.

"Just that. I was informed books were taken from the Restricted section about The Veil, but not about what you found out. So please, do tell."

I went on to tell him what the paragraph said, word for word, and when I was done, Hermione added, "You aren't mad about the books being taken from the Resticted section, are you?"

He looked like he was considering something before saying, "Usually, you would be in more trouble, but because you found such helpful information, I wil only take 5 house points from each of you. How does that sound?"

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione answered.

"Well, than, when would you like to do this Bella?"

I stood in front of this big black thing that was considered The Veil. It was almost indescribable, it was so creepy. Dumbledore stood as far back as possible, not wanting to be in the backfire. But if anything were to go wrong, than I was to back up quickly, and he would apparate us out of there.

I trusted my magical ability enough to know this would work. It had to, because I wanted to help Harry. I hope he would be happy about this.

"Alright Bella, go ahead."

I took a deep breath, and pulled my favorite knife from my boot, because it didn't say a specific knife had to be used, and brought it to my right palm. I had already moved to the position I was supposed to be in, standing 5 feet from the creepy black thing, so I was ready. I started to murmur the incantation as I slit my palm open, thinking it was a good thing I was used to pain, and with everytime I said the words, I got louder.

The blood was dripping from my palm, onto the floor in front of me, and suddenly, there was a blinding white light erupting from The Veil, projecting around the room. I didn't stop saying the charm, but I did bring my left hand up to cover my eyes. I vagually thought about the fact that Dumbledore had let me do this even though it used dark magic, but didn't have to long to dwell on it.

The light ceased, the cut on my palm closed itself up, the blood seeped into the floor, and a body was thrust out, and The Veil closed again.

I looked at the person lying at my feet, squating down to get a better look. He had shoulder length dark brown locks atop his head, a short beard on his face and damn for family, a fucking hot body. All in all, he was good looking.

I jumped a little, startled when his eyes opened, because they were a beautiful ocean blue color that I could have melted in. I was almost disappointed he was family, but sterling grey eyes popped into my mind, and those thoughts were gone.

"Hey."

He looked confused, then understanding, before settling on anger. He got up quickly stumbling for a second, before pointing his wand at me. I stood up from my crouch; I wasn't afraid of him.

"What have you done with Harry?"

"Harry is back at Hogwarts, probably finishing his classes for the day. Relax, he is my friend, my brother."

"How long have I been in there?"

"Almost 4 months."

"Oh."

"My name is Bella Swan, but you would know my mother, Renee Dwyer. Your cousin."

He gasped quietly, then looked at me in a different light. Like he was looking for any signs of my mom in me. He looked into my eyes, seeing the light brown ring around my pupil, seeing my mom's nose on my face.

"Why don't you have her last name?"

"Because my mom married a muggle before I was born, and gave me his last name. Though my real father works in Hogwarts."

"Snivellus."

No one insulted my father but me, "His name is Severus Snape, if you are going to say it at all, you say it right." I said harshly.

He looked surprised for a minute, but raised his hands in defeat, "Sorry"

I just nodded. Time to move on.

"We need to get back to Hogwarts, I am sure that Harry would like to see you."

He smiled at the mention of Harry, and nodded eagerly.

I raised my hand out to him giving him a small smile. I wanted him to trust me, he was family after all.

He took my offered hand and smiled back. I think we would be okay.

We walked up to Dumbledore with me, we went back through the floo to his office. He sent a note with a house elf to get Harry and send him up.

I had a feeling this would be one big emotional night. Family Reunion from Hell. Lovely.

* * *

**So...what do you think? I hope you like it. If you did, you should definitely review. **

**Okay guys, I have a very important question to ask. I was going to pair Harry with Sirius, but I am already doing a Harry/Sirius story. So I am leaving it up to you. Who would you all like to see Harry with? Anyone you want, like Harry/Snape or Harry/Ron; Harry/Blaise, Harry/Theo. Or maybe even one of the Weasleys. As long as it is a guy. No Woman! Because honestly, Harry isn't straight. No straight guy says a kiss with a girl is wet, no matterhow many tears she cried. So anyways, tell me, and I will try to work that person into the story. Whoever's name I get the most will be who he is paired with, and if I only get one...lets say 'vote'...per pairing with Harry, the next chapter will have a list of people to put with Harry and you all have to pick. **

**So there you go. Review and tell me who should be with Harry. I would really appreciate it. Please!**

**Love,**

**Kitkat**


	5. Chapter 5

"Sirius?" Harry whispered. From the look of shock on his face, he expected anything but this when he entered Dumbledore's office. But really, why would he think Sirius would randomly come back from the barrier of life and death?

I watched silently from my position beside the Headmaster's chair as Harry turned to look at me.

"How?" Harry's voice broke slightly on the word, his eyes tearing up. He looked like he could almost believe this real but wasn't sure and didn't want to wake up to disappointment.

"I'm related to him. I read in the book today in the library that a relative under the age of 18 could remove family from The Veil, if the soul was living. It hadn't been a year yet, so..." My quiet voice trailed off, leaving nothing but the choked breath of Harry trying to keep back his sobs.

"So this is real? Sirius is really here?"

Sirius answered before I could, "I'm right here kiddo. Seriously." His lips quirked up at his own stupid joke.

Harry finally let loose the sobs he had held in and threw himself at Sirius. Fortunately, he had been sitting and just pulled Harry into his lap, rocking them gently back and forth, whispering words to quiet for us to here; he had tears leaking down his face just like Harry did.

After a few minutes, Harry's sobs died down to sniffles. I moved towards the door; I wasn't good with tears. Dumbledore got up to follow me, telling them softly that a house elf would bring them up dinner. Once he got a nod from them both, we both traveled out of the office.

"That was a honorable thing of you to do Miss Swan. Very Gryffindor as a matter of fact." I could hear the smile in his voice and I wanted to slap it off his face. I hadn't done that to get any kind of recognition, I just did it because I wish someone could have done the same thing for me; though that would never be able to happen.

I shrugged, "It doesn't matter what it was, it's over now. He has his family back and now maybe Sirius can even tell me more about my mom."

Nothing else was said because we had reached the Great Hall. I walked over to the Slytherin table, seeing Pansy wave me over. I sat in the seat between her and Draco; I swore that girl knew I had some sort of feeling for that boy. Or Blaise opened his big mouth.

"Why were you with the Headmaster? Did you get in trouble for that howler?" Draco asked with something my stupid head wanted to think was concern.

"Nah, he just asked me a few questions about the incident last night with Milicent. No big deal." I shrugged. I really hoped they dropped this.

"Yes, but you weren't in Divination."

I looked over at Draco. I hadn't noticed him in my class. I mentally slapped myself for caring about how I could miss the God sitting in front of me.

I cocked an eyebrow at him, "Do you have any idea how many questions that man can make up?"

Draco chuckled softly, raising his hands in defense, "I'm not sure I want to know."

I found myself smiling softly at the sound of his laugh. I could spend the rest of my life listening to that. Kind of like his voice.

Instead of replying, I put some food on my plate, not really paying attention to what it was; more unerved with the fact that I had just smiled like that. I spent the rest of dinner listening to them talk around me, content with the sound of Draco's voice right next to me.

~DMBS~DMBS~DMBS~DMBS~DMBS~

The next couple of weeks went by normally. My detention with the Snape had been disappointingly boring. I had hoped we would argue or something; anything to block out the silence that seemed to overlap that room while he had brewed whatever potion, Blood-replenishing potion from the looks of it, and me cleaning cauldrins. That cleaning hadn't been as bad as I had thought; I had cleaned worse.

It was September 13 now, my birthday. I guessed that meant I should have been in my 7th year, but I wasn't going to complain. I was happy with my schedule and suck just the way it was.

I was currently walking through the halls, not really going anywhere, just walking. Harry had been with Sirius in the Room of Requirments, the room on the 7th floor my mom had told me about, so we hadn't met with each other in a week. But I was ok with it. He was happy and that was all that mattered. I had my iPod on, ear-buds firmly in my ears, playing If It Means A Lot to You by A Day to Remember. I had been a little surpirsed my iPod worked here, but I was happy it did.

I hadn't realized it was after curfew until I rounded a corner smacking right into a warm hard chest. Arms wrapped around my waist to keep me upright.

It took me minute to come to the conclusion that I wasn't afraid that this mystery person was touching me. I never usually liked men to touch me at all.

I looked up into sterling grey eyes, swirling with an emotion I wasn't sure I wanted a name for. I pulled back, dislodging his arms from me in the process; ignoring the brief disappointment I felt at that.

I paused the music still playing in my ears, removing my ear-buds. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention where I was going." I said, looking back into those mesmerizing eyes.

"You do know I could give you detention for being out after curfew?" Draco choose to ignore my apology. I cocked my head to the side, eyeing him curiously.

"You could," I allowed with a shrug. "But the question remains...would you?"

The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile before he quickly hid under an impassive expression. "I might."

"Would you really give me detention on my birthday of all days?" I smiled sweetly, looking up under my lashes at him.

He looked bewildered for a moment, "Is it really your birthday?"

"Yes." I let my eyes show him that I was serious.

He cleared his thraot gently, as if any noise to loud might ruin whatever it was we were doing. "Well then, I guess we'll have to make a compromis."

"Hmm...what kind of compromise are we talking about?"

"If you go with me this weekend to Hogsmeade, then this little incident will disappear."

The offer was so tempting I almost blurted out yes. But luckily, I didn't.

"Are you asking me on a date, Draco?" I let my voice lilt in surprise subtly. I really was surprised he would ask me out.

"Possibly. Are you accepting?"

I thought about it for a moment. I would be an idiot to pass up this opportunity, but I had to go get my wand this weekend. A thought suddenly struck me. I knew Professor Snape would rather be in his potions lab that day...

"If I could get it okay'd, would you be willing to take me to go get a wand first?" I watched his eyes widen slightly at the mention of me not having a wand before going back to their original look.

"I think I would be up for that." When had his voice become deeper? Damn it.

We stood there just staring at each other for Merlin knows how long. It wasn't until his voice cut through the moment did I even realize I was staring at him. Yeah, that was how much he fucked with my head. Grrr...

"You should head back to the dorms. I have to finish my rounds." His voice was soft, almost like he didn't really want me to leave.

I cleared my throat, "Yeah, I should. I'll see you in the morning, Draco."

I turned to leave, totally ready to get away from the intoxicating body in front of me, but a hand on my wrist stopped me. I turned my head, only to have lips press to my cheek.

"Goodnight, love. Sleep well. And happy birthday." and he was gone the opposite direction before I could recooperate enough to realize he had just kissed me...and I let him.

~DMBS~DMBS~DMBS~DMBS~DMBS~

The next morning, I tried not to act to differently around Draco. I had had another nightmare last night, the same was as the other night; it was mostly always that one. I hated it.

"You going to Hogsmeada this tomorrow, Bella?" Pansy asked me from my left. Draco was sitting to my right looking fucking perfect as per usual. I really did hate how he could distract me so damn easily.

I cast my eyes to see if Draco would give me a hint as to whether or not he wanted people to know what we were doing, but found the he was looking at me already. Something in his eyes told me that he was wondering the same thing.

"Well, Draco is taking me to get a wand first thing in the morning, than we will head back to Hogsmeade." I hadn't actually asked if he could yet, but I knew Professor Snape trusted Draco and he probably would rather be in his potions lab.

Pansy cocked an eyesbrow at the mention of Draco going with me, a knowing glint coming into her expression. It pissed me off a little because really, I wasn't that transparent.

"Alright. How about you guys meet us in front of Zonko's at say...4 o'clock? We can all walk back to the castle together."

I looked over my shoulder at Draco, getting a nod I nodded my consent as well. I honestly wondered what he had planed for us tomorrow. I hoped a tour because I had never been there before. That made me want to snort out loud. I really wasn't very romantic if that's what I considered a first date.

Soon, breakfast was over and we all headed to our respective classes, though Pansy, Draco, Blaise, Theo and me all went to the same class.

When we got to the classroom, we had to wait outside Snape's door for him to get there. I watched the other students come to the door, seeing Harry walking with Hermione and smiled at his happy face. I hadn't known they were both in my class until after I had met them, though I did watch as Snape criticized Harry's every move. It pissed me off, but I had managed to keep my mouth shut only because Harry hadn't seemed affected by it to much. Especially jabs about Sirius. Those reactions were the most amusing because Harry would look at him with mystery in his eyes and not say anything; the best way to get to Snape, staying silent.

I was pulled from my thoughts as the Potions Master himself swept dramatically down the hall, sneering unattractively at the students in his way. He opened the door and we all went in, Draco pulling me down next to him just as I was walking passed him. I narrowed my eyes at the clearly dominating act, not liking it at all. I would have to talk to him about manhandling me.

"Today, you are to brew a Pepper-up potion. Get the ingrediants listed on the board and get to work."

No one but me seemed to move. I walked to get the ingrediants without having to look at them. I knew them by heart now. The potion was actually one of the easier ones, taught originally in lower years. Nonetheless, I grabbed everything we would need, turning and walking back to our desk. I was pointedly ignoring everyone staring at me; apparently everyone in the class seems to have to sit still until he yells. I personally didn't want to hear it. I wasn't really in the mood that day for his fucked up attitude problem; it would no doubt make mine ten times worse.

I sighed as they all continued to stare, even my own housemates, and turned toward the class, "Why don't you all stop watching me do my work and do as the man says, hmm?" I said in a falsely sweet voice. I saw a few people flinch and wanted to snicker aloud. So Draco hadn't changed me to much; I still got sadistic pleasure in scaring the shit out of people.

My words seemed to finally knock them out of whatever stuppor they had been in and they all went to get the ingrediants needed. I turned back to Draco and saw him staring at me again. I just shrugged and started the first step.

Draco and I worked quite well together, both of us seeming to know what the other was going to do and being ready to continue on from there. We worked sufficiently and gracefully, even being the first group done in the class. We bottled it up into as many vials as the batch we made would hold, setting them down on his desk when we were done.

"10 points to Slytherin for being the first to get the potion made correctly." Snape said. Hearing his voice made me realize why my mom had been attracted to him in the first place. I could listen to him talk all day long. It wasn't sexual by any means, but to me, his voice was a soothing sound. One I wished I could have had all my life.

We sat in silence for awhile, everyone finishing up their potions within the next half hour. Snape couldn't even say anything about Harry's, he had been paired with some guy I didn't bother knowing the name of.

Class came to an end shortly thereafter. I stayed behind though; I had to ask if Draco could take me to Diagon Alley. And I knew just how to do it.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" He was collecting the bottles of Pepper up potion, putting them into a cabinet behind his desk.

"I was wondering if you would mind allowing Draco to come with me to get my wand. He can show me there and get me back safely I'm sure."

He turned around to look at me. His gaze was piercing as he looked me dead in the eyes and a second later I felt the gentle intrusion pressing into my Occlumency sheilds. I wanted to laugh as he continued to probe looking for a weak spot, me knowing he wouldn't find one. My mind was just like his; smart, overly-protected and damn paranoid.

He gave up after a few minutes, his gaze coming back to rest on my own, "Why Miss Swan? Why should I let a student do what and adult was assigned to do?"

"Well, because Draco wanted to take me around Hogsmeade afterwards and we didn't want to have to deal with meeting up somewhere when I had no idea where I was going anyway. And besides, wouldn't you rather be here with no students here to bother you?"

He actually seemed to be contemplating the idea, though I was almost positive he knew what I was up to when I said that last part. He continued to gaze at me, trying to see if I was up to anything.

"Alright, Miss Swan. I'll allow it," he said softly. In a more firm tone he added, "But you are to report to me as soon as you return. Are we understood?"

I smiled slightly at the obvious, to me anyway, affection in his tone. "Yes, sir. We're understood."

He nodded before saying, "Was there anything else, dear?" His eyes widened marginally at the endearment. He had evidently not meant to say that. He never had struck me as the person to call people anything close to that.

And, for one crazed moment, I almost blurted out that I was his daughter. I don't know why the almost unresistable urge hit me, but it did, and I had to swallow hard to keep the words from spewing from my mouth. It wouldn't have been pretty if I were to tell him that at a time like this.

Instead, I shook my head and smiled, somewhat shakily. "No, sir. Nothing else. Thank you."

I hurrie out of the room, making sure to keep as much grace and dignity as possible. It was astonishingly hard with the feel of my dad's eyes on my back the entire time.

I started to walk to the library, I was to frazzled to go to my next class. I had to much on my mind to be able to function properly in Arithmancy.

Would it really be as bad as I am making it seem to tell Snape he was my dad? Apparently, he could feel the pull to me. I mean he called me 'dear'. That had to mean something right? I sighed heavily. I had no idea what to do about this. My life had so much fucking drama sometimes I wanted to shoot myself.

I spent my time in the library reading a book on wand cores. I was curious to see what mine would be.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey... I am so sorry for the wait. I lost my muse there for a while, and to be honest, it still hasn't fully returned. I'm thinking of making posters to see if it can be returned to me soon. I miss it. Anyway, I know this isn't my best for this story, but at the moment, I know where I want to get, but getting it there with enough time in between each event is the problem. I hope I haven't lost any of you due to my absence. I wouldn't even be writing if it weren't for you all. I hope you enjoy what I can give at the moment, but expect better to come.**

**I own nothing, by the way.**

**Onward, we go!**

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Draco and I walked silently down the street, ignoring the stares we got from the other shoppers. We had just left Olivander's store, Draco with a slight blush on his cheeks, me with my 10" yew wand with dragonheart strings. Mr. Ollivander was a bit creepy, knowing the moment I walked into the store what wand I would need. He said something about being able to tell by my aura, but I was a bit to intranced with the magic I could feel around me to really pay attention.

That was the reason I wasn't exactly sure what the man had said to make Draco blush, and Draco wouldn't tell me, saying that I didn't need to worry about it. It was really fucking annoying but I let it go for the moment. I would get it out of him eventually.

We were headed back to Gringotts to floo back to Hogwarts. It was early, so the students hadn't left for Hogsmeade yet. The headmaster decided that he wanted us back at the school before the day really began so we could go down to Hogsmeade with them.

We walked in silence for the most part save for the occasional question from Draco. What shocked me the most was that I wasn't getting defensive about anything he asked me. I never answered questions asked about my life before, so what the fuck had changed?

Unexpectedly, I felt the back of his hand brush mine. I looked up at him from the corner of my eye, noticing his slightly nervous expression. His pink finger suddenly hooked around my index finger and I let him pull my hand into his as he twined our fingers together. His hand was quite a bit bigger than mine, practically swallowing my smaller one. The heat of his skin seeped into me, warming me more than any blanket could.

I didn't know why I was changing so much, but really...if this was what it felt like, it couldn't that bad, could it?

I was dressed in a long sleeve black shirt with a mock-turtleneck, faded skinny jeans and my knee-high combat boots over the bottoms. My knives were, of course, tucked into their rightful places, lip ring on as well as my usual racoon style black eye liner. My hair was staight, flowing down my back, my bangs blowing into my eyes, pissing me off as I had to keep pushing them back.

Draco looked as pristine as always dressed in his black robes, his hair perfect, not a strand out of place; it made me want to magic the gel from the locks and run my fingers through it.

We walked hand in hand through Gringotts and he allowed me to go through the floo first. I waited on the other end for him, watching him land with the feline grace I'd never seen any other man but Snape possess. The headmaster asked us how things went, what wand did I end up with, blah, blah, blah. Finally, he aloud us to go back to the Great Hall for breakfast before we left for Hogsmeade. We walked silently, hands linked yet again, through the doors to the seats we noticed were saved for us between Theo and Blaise. I decided not to comment on the silence that desended over everyone as their gazes locked onto our twined fingers.

Sitting down, putting food onto my plate, I pointedly ignored the whispers I could hear about the fact that Draco and I had walked in holding hands. This was why I hated PDA. Everyone knew your god damn business...or at least they thought they did.

We stayed as the center of conversation throughout breakfast, something that worked my last nerve way to fucking early in the morning. I had to drink an extra cup of coffee to keep my temper in check. As Draco and I left the Great Hall, I caught Milicent's eye. Her look spoke of promises of torture and my smile was all teeth. My way of saying to bring it on.

The day brightened after that, my fingers staying twined with my date's as he took me around, showing me the different stores, buying me sweets in Honeydukes, something I bitched about. I didn't like it when people bought things for me because it made me feel like I owed them something. But Draco assured me that it didn't matter what I had to say.

"I'm going to buy things for you whether you like it or not. So get bloody used to it." He had said, effectively shutting me up for the time being.

By the time 4 o'clock hit, I was smiling and laughing because Draco seemed to have a great sense of humor that he hid when we were around others. We showed up in front of Zonko's and everyone stopped their conversation at the smile on my face, making it disappear and a scowl to take its place.

Pansy recovered first, "So, how about we go to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer before heading back to the school?" She asked, looking around our little circle to see the expressions on their faces. We all seemed to agree and made our way over there.

The place was fucking packed with students from Hogwarts, making us have to search for a table. We finally found one in the very back of the room, sitting down around the table and placing our orders when the waitress asked for it.

We didn't spend much time there, only enough time to drink our butterbeer, which wasn't the worst thing I'd ever tasted. Walking back to the school, we watched as our peers seemed to spread in groups in front of and behind us. Draco and I stayed a little ways behind the others, him asking me what school had been like where I was from and if I ever thought I'd go back.

I hadn't thought much about going back, but I didn't think I would. My father was here, my mother was born and raised here, and yes, I had Jasper and the others back in Texas, but they could floo here to see me at any time.

Draco seemed to have sensed not to delve to deep into my past because he steered clear of any questions that I would have a problem answering, almost as if he knew which ones I wouldn't answer.

Dinner was uneventful, besides the conversations about the new relationship Draco and I already had in the others' eyes. It wasn't even worth denying because the way things looked now, Draco and I would have a relationship soon enough.

Later that night, in my usual prowl of the halls, I came upon something I really wasn't expecting, although it wasn't bad to look at.

Harry, my friend Harry, was pinned to the wall, hands roaming his body as his did the same to the man pressing into him, moaning softly into the mouth of none other than his best friend, Ron Weasley. In the way they touched each other, you could tell that what they were doing wasn't just physical. Ron was taking special care not to pull to hard on Harry's hair, not to caress him to roughly. And Harry, his body molded into the bigger one of his partner, his hands softly stroking over his cheeks, down over his neck.

I hated to interrupt such a sweet moment but... ok I really didn't hate it. I really wanted to see the blush I knew would spread across the Gryffindors' cheeks.

I smirked as I brought my pinkies to the corners of my mouth, pushing them inside and whistling loud for a short second.

I came out from my hiding place in the dark as they jumped apart, coughing to cover up their embarassment. Harry looked up into my mirth filled gaze and his eyes filled with his own laughter.

"Bella, you bitch." I pretended to be offended for all of two seconds before moving forward and hugging him quickly.

"Sorry, hun, I just couldn't pass up that chance." I said. I couldn't help but poke fun at him. Who else would I torture but my pseudo-younger brother?

I turned to Ron and held out my hand, "I'm Bella. I'll probably end up being your sister-in-law one day." I smirk at his shocked expression, even as he takes my hand firmly in his own.

Letting go, I turn back to Harry. "So, when did this happen?"

Harry's cheeks darkened further, "Just after Sirius came back. He noticed my change in mood and we both felt the need to express what we hadn't said yet. But Bella, no one knows about us. We wanted to keep this a secret for a little while, get used to it ourselves first."

I caught the look in his eyes and the hint in his voice. He wanted this kept between the three of us. "No worries, darlin'. Your secret is safe with me. " I wink at him as I strengthen my drawl, a smirk stretching across my lips as he smiled at me, relieved.

We say our goodnights after that and I head back down stairs to my dorm. I was exhausted and I had homework that needed to be done tomorrow.

But I had a feeling tonight wouldn't be a peaceful night for me. My nights hardly ever were.

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**Well, there it is. A filler really, but an update is an update right? No...? *sigh*. Let me know what you think and excuse any errors in spelling or typos. I'm really fucking tired. **

**love,**

**Kitkat**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey Guys! :D Okay, so before we get on with the store, I'd like to thank all of you for continuing to support this story even though I have a horrible updating pattern. I have gotten so many alerts, favorites, and reviews for this story and it just warms my heart to know that you all like it so much. **

**I promise I will try to have this story finished by the time the next school year starts. I don't like leaving you guys in suspense for so long, because, really, I hate it too. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and I will try to have the next one up in a few days. It feels like a muse bug has bit me in the ass, kicking me into gear with my plots. I love the feeling, by the way. :D**

**I own nothing. :( **

**Here you go!**

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As I lay in bed the next morning, arms crossed behind my head, staring at the ceiling, I thought of what happened the night before. I had been right. My night had been entirely unpleasant. I had had a different dream; I was thirteen and Charlie had brought a bull whip into my room while I was asleep, tied me to my bed face down after stripping me naked and whipping me for almost two hours straight. He had kept telling me how this would heal me, would help me bleed out my disgusting disease.

With a snort of revulsion, I cast a tempus and found that it was only four-fucking-thirty in the morning. Great; another day starting at the ass-crack of fucking dawn, and on a weekend, no less. My favorite days to be up this early. Note the sarcasm.

I get up silently, grabbing my toiletries and walking to the bathroom to start my morning ritual. My shower lasted longer than usual today, the strong water pressure pounding out the tension in my muscles. My mind drifted to Draco as I stood in the as hot as I could stand water, thinking about what he might say if he were to find out the truth of who I am. Would he be disgusted, casting me aside saying that I was too used to be with him? Would he call me a whore and tell me how it was all my fault?

I was too terrified to let myself hope for the scenario where he accepted me for what happened and didn't blame me, like some stupid love story. Please, how often did shit like that happen, anyway?

I got out the shower and spelled my hair dry while I wrapped a towel around my body. Looking into the mirror, I watched as I wielded my magic to make my hair look like it always did, bangs combed over my forehead, before straightening it. I had learned long ago how to bend my magic to make it do what I wanted it to without the use of any spell at all. It was a useful skill.

Drying off, I pulled on my clothes; black and white panties with a matching bra, a pair of my black skinny jeans. Forgoing the shirt for a minute, I stared at my torso. I had the words 'Fuck You' tattooed in bold letters across the right side, over my ribs. My mom's face was on the left, done in the best coloring and drawing skills I could find, the drawing having been done from the only photo I had left of her. She had been in her early twenties and she had still been absolutely beautiful, her long brown hair, her light brown eyes and rosy cheeks, the picture that still comforted me from my nightmares; long before she had lost the life in her eyes, the light slowly fading from them as her blood drained from her body….

Shuddering, I looked down at just above the waistband of my jeans where 'Life, Liberty, And the Pursuit of Happiness' were in scrawled in pretty cursive writing. I had gotten this to say that no matter what Charlie did to me, I would always have those three rights as my own. He could never take them from me; mostly because I wouldn't let him, but still.

The only thing that really fucked up my tattoos for me was that I had gotten them to cover up scars that Charlie had inflicted on me. I didn't want to live with having to see 'Whore' carved into my side all my life.

I didn't get to admire the rest of my tattoos because I heard someone coming to the bathroom; it really was amazing how loud these girls could be.

I quickly slipped my tight black ¾ sleeved, scoop neck top on, covering the skin I didn't want seen by anyone.

_Except maybe Draco…._

I shook my head of those thoughts, and bent over to slip my knee-high black converse on and laced them with a silent wave of magic. I leaned closer to the mirror to put my lip ring in just a girl who I never bothered learning the name of walked in and, ignoring me, walked into a shower stall.

I rolled my eyes at her actions, screwing the ball of my ring into the back before leaning back to admire it. I charmed my eye liner pencil to do my eyes for me, knowing it would do it quicker and more efficiently than I could. Once it was done, I slapped on some mascara and said the spell that would keep my make up from coming off before leaving the bathroom.

Putting all my things back into my trunk, I grabbed my purple hoodie with tiny black squares in a checker board fashion and soft black fur on the inside and cast another tempus. Finding it was still a bit early to go into the Great Hall, I decided to take a walk in the morning air. I was overcast and cold outside, two things I loved most in the fall and winter months. I wished it could be like this all year because anytime I got out into the sun, I fried like an ant does under a magnifying glass if hit in just the right light. It wasn't fun looking like a lobster and feeling like your skin was burning off your body… Although in hindsight, it kind of was….

I walked out into the common room, noticing that it was empty of all things living before leaving through the portrait hole. Getting to the entrance hall wasn't too difficult anymore now that I had been here a few weeks and I was soon making my way out around the grounds, toward the lake at a leisurely pace.

I walked around the lake a few times, seeing the squid wake up and wave at me lazily. I finally sat down by a tree on the side closest to the school and leaned back on my hands with my legs stretched out in front of me, looking up at the sky. I inhaled deeply before closing my eyes and just letting the cold air blow over me for a while, a small smile curling my lips up at the corners.

After what felt like not enough time later, I sighed and cast yet another tempus. Seeing that it was almost nine a.m., I got up and began my trek back to the castle and into the Great Hall.

Opening the doors, I saw that most of the people were there and eating so I made my way, not unnoticed by the other students, to Draco and the others. Draco had saved me a seat and I smiled in thanks at him. His answering smile almost knocked the breath from my lungs it was so beautiful but I contained myself at the last minute. Damn him and his ability to make me feel things I shouldn't be feeling!

I pour myself a cup of coffee without putting anything in it, just the way I liked it. Then, I grabbed some bacon, finding the crispiest pieces and set them on my plate before picking one back up and beginning to nibble on it. I tuned out the conversation around me, getting lost inside my own thoughts.

That is until I heard Harry being talked about again.

This time it was Blaise who spoke, and damn was he fucking lucky it wasn't an insult to my brother.

"Potter seems a lot happier. I wonder what happened." It seemed as if all of them were taking my threat seriously. Good. I hid a smirk behind my coffee cup both at the knowledge that they were scared enough to heed my warning and because I knew why Harry was so happy again.

"I'm not sure. But it's definitely better to have him argue back when someone goads him instead of that blank look he had before." Pansy said and I had to agree with her although for different reasons. Harry was too sweet of a person to ever have to live in pain the he has. And he was so beautiful when he smiled with those lively emerald eyes.

I slowly sipped at my coffee, savoring the strong taste on my tongue, inhaling the lovely aroma. Still nibbling on my bacon, I watched as the mail came and went and the conversations throughout the room slowly decreased as people got up to leave.

Finishing my bacon and coffee, I got up from the table saying that I'd be in the library if they needed me. My comment had been more meant for Draco but whatever.

Sitting in the library, I pulled down numerous books on potions, DADA, transfiguration; just because I wasn't taking some of these classes now didn't mean I couldn't read more up on the subject itself. I found a small nook with a chair in it and picked up a book on DADA.

I spent all day in that library and had read through all of the eleven books I had picked up by about two hours before curfew. I had always been a fast reader, but I was even more so when it was something I really enjoyed.

I put all the books back and made my way down to the dungeons, said the password and made my way into the common room to find Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle surrounding the fire. There were quite a few other people there but I didn't pay them any attention as I slipped over to where Draco sat to the left of the fire place, in a high-backed green chair with a book open in his lap. He looked up as he noticed movement coming toward him and when he saw it was me he smiled as he closed his book.

"Have you been in the library all day?" Draco asked as I settled myself down in front of his legs, leaning back with my head in his lap to look at him.

"Yes. I've been reading up on a few subjects I'm not taking." I replied, grabbing everyone else's attention in the immediate area. Had I been that loud? I didn't think I had been.

I look up to notice the stares of all the people that had befriended me and realized just what position I was in. But instead of blushing in embarrassment like most people would if they were caught in an intimate position like this one, I did the adult thing.

I stuck my tongue out at them.

They all looked shocked for a minute before they busted out laughing. I had a feeling they were laughing at the serious look on my face when I poked my tongue out from between my lips in such a childish way. But I had done that on purpose so it didn't look so childish.

… If that's possible.

We sat there for a few more hours talking about nothing in particular, just random shit that no one really cared about.

At around midnight, Draco had to go make his rounds for curfew so I stole his chair. It was warm and I swear I'm not crazy when I say that his smell still hung in the air.

I looked over to find the others staring at me again.

"What?" I asked peeved when they continued to stare at me. Finally Blaise spoke up.

"Bella, Draco is my best friend. I know how he acts when he likes someone, when he has deeper feelings for someone than another. I also know that you are a very closed off person that obviously doesn't get close to very many people. I need to know that this…. Whatever it is that you have with Draco won't get him hurt in the end. Draco deserves better than that."

I couldn't exactly say I was shocked by what he said because I knew it was coming eventually, but something deep within me tugged at the care Blaise showed for Draco. If he hadn't said it, it would have been obvious just by him saying what he did that he and Draco were close.

I cocked my head to the side and looked like I was thinking about my reply. In reality, I was trying to figure out how to word this without sounding like a bitch for one, and for two, in a way that didn't divulge too much.

"What I feel for Draco is… Complicated. I'm… scared of my feelings but at the same time, I don't want them to go away. When I know how I feel about him, I might tell you, but just know for now, that I have no intention of ever hurting him. I like to see his smile too much to ever take it away from him."

There. That sounded alright. It wasn't detailed about how I felt but it should suffice for an answer to his question.

He looked at me with calculating eyes for a moment, trying to see if I was telling the truth. When he found no trace of a lie, he nodded and the conversation was dropped.

I got up shortly thereafter, saying goodnight as I yawned behind my hand before heading for the dorms.

As I lay in bed that night, I thought about the night before again and hoped it didn't happen again tonight.

Suddenly, I realized that I had left my curtains open the entire time I was in the bathroom this morning. Anyone could have come into my pseudo-room and taken things. I might lock my trunk but a riddle couldn't keep a Slytherin out. We were made to know things like that.

After a few minutes of panicked thoughts, I relaxed as I realized you would have to have been through pain to know what my riddle meant. It wasn't anything to difficult, but you had to know me really well or have felt the feeling yourself.

"_I am something that brings peace and happiness, anger and distrust; I am something that goes hand in hand with the other, neither can occur without the other. I am something that you live with all your life, minor or major, it still feels the same."_

I fell asleep, slightly appeased with my logic…

…But I could feel something lurking around the corner, something just didn't feel right. And I could tell it was something that was going to piss me off.

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**Hi! So, what did you think? Can anyone guess what the answer to the riddle might mean? If you know, then tell me what you think in a review. **

**I'll give you a hint: Think about what Bella has gone through, then think about the one emotion she is most afraid of. **

**Also, she has more tattoos, but they are a surprise for later. :)**

**love,**

**Kitkat**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! A few things before we get this under way. This turned out a bit darker than I had intended originally, to me at least. I guess it really all depends on who's reading it. But either way, it's kinda heavy. Also, there is a scene in here that is a memory of Bella's, so you know that can't be too pretty. The blood and stuff isn't in too much detail because I'm really not good at writing gory scenes but the idea is there. **

**Anyway, just to tell you, I'm in the middle of moving and it might be a minute before I get another chapter up for a couple of reasons. One, I won't have internet for about a week in my new place. Second, the next chapter has a lot of detail that needs to be put in and it will take me a minute to make it as good as I can make it. **

**So, with that being said, on with the story.**

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Ever since the morning I had left my curtains open, I had been on my guard more so than usual. If I was honest with myself, I was terrified that someone had discovered the answer to my riddle and had taken something. I had checked my trunk but I hadn't found anything missing.

But I had learned early on that it didn't matter what you thought, it didn't make it true.

So now, a month later with still nothing happening, I was tempted to relax because damn, I was so high strung that no one wanted to be around me. I was constantly snapping at people, being a bitch without there being a need for me to be one. I hated being this way; it was how I had acted when I lived back in Texas.

But again, every time I thought about easing up, I would think about how the best way to hurt someone the most was to lure them into a false sense of security before acting. I didn't want to begin thinking everything was fine just to have it thrown right back in my face.

Plus, I could feel something in the air around the common room. When the room was crowded with people and I would sit there doing my homework, I could feel a tension surround me, coming from someone that I couldn't quite pinpoint but I knew the restless feeling would cause them to act soon if they were going to.

And the really fucked up part about all of this was that, with me being new and the girl dressed like a freak compared to all these snobs I was forced to live with, made it possible for anyone to be the culprit to who might want to get at me. I knew I made the other houses, even some of the teachers, look down their noses at the Slytherin house even more so than before and a lot of people might want revenge for that.

Sitting in the unpopulated common room, my eyes flicked up quickly under my lashes while my head stayed buried in my book as I saw feet head my way. Seeing it was Draco coming towards me, I sigh quietly. I had practically ignored him the past month because of my fear of someone going through my things. I felt horrible because we had just started getting to know each other and I didn't want him to think that I had changed my mind but with my head wrapped around other issues, I hadn't thought much about anything else. God, what a fuck up I was.

I closed my book after marking my page, looking up into the sterling grey eyes that I wished I could drown in. Holding eye contact with me, Draco sat down in front of me crossing his legs and resting his chin on my right knee.

"Are you ready to tell me what's going on, yet?" He asked softly, his eyes showing his confusion and concern over why I had been acting the way I had.

I purse my lips, looking down at my folded hands in my lap. It was unnerving how he knew I wasn't ready to talk before, yet that there was something bothering me. But this was something I had been asking myself for quite some time; if I could tell him. It wasn't like this was some big deal, and it was still just a suspicion, but it was something I should be able to easily talk about.

But that was the thing. I couldn't talk about it because it meant that I was giving him the ability to offer help, to act like he cared. I was scared to let someone help me when I had taken care of myself for so long. I didn't want to feel like I needed help; even if I did want Draco to help me, if only to help me relax a little so I didn't ruin my chance to call him mine.

_My Draco….. That has a nice ring to it._

I shake my head a bit and look up at him. His chin still rested on my knee as he waited patiently for my answer. His eyes held a sort of understanding in them, like he knew the thoughts going through my mind. Wow, that was a scary thought.

I took a deep breath and made my decision. "About a month ago, I accidently left my curtains open while I was in the shower. Now, this may just be my paranoia, but I think someone went in and took something from my trunk." I whispered to him.

His brows furrow for a minute before they smooth back out. "Well, have you checked your trunk? Was anything out of place? And how would they get in? Don't you lock it?"

His questions were spoken softly, like he was trying to sooth my nerves. Did he know the affect his voice had on me?

"I've checked and nothing is out of place that I could find. My trunk's spelled to open if my hand touches it but for anyone else, it is locked by a riddle, you would have to know me pretty well or have experienced it yourself to know the answer." I reply just as softly as before. I really didn't want anyone to hear our conversation if they were to walk in on it. Something told me that wouldn't be pretty.

"Well than what makes you think something was taken?" He asked, his brow furrowing again.

I sigh, hating that I had to explain this. "I just have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that something isn't right. I rely pretty heavily on my gut instinct, my intuition, because it's never steered me wrong before. Something…. Something is going to happen soon, Draco. I can feel it."

He lifted his head up off my knee, leaning in closer to me as a warm hand reaches behind me to hook around the back of my neck, drawing me forward until our foreheads met in the middle. His other hand came to grab one of mine while mine went to his neck as well. It was a very intimate position, one that I was surprised to find I was comfortable with, more than comfortable actually. I liked it.

"Well, now that I know what's going on, I can keep my eyes open for any trouble. I promise you, if anything is going to happen, we'll deal with it together from now on." He said softly. I let my eyes close gently, his soft puffs of air on my face relaxing. I felt him shift slightly towards me, and I followed his movements, bringing our lips closer together.

Both of us paused, our mouths centimeters apart, breathing each other's air as time seemed to stop. His last sentence still hung in the air; _'we'll deal with it together from now on'. _The thought of us being together through this just might be… alright. As long as he kissed me, right now.

As if hearing my thoughts, which I was beginning to think was quite possible, his lips brushed mine softly. Never rushing, never deepening the kiss more than a gently swipe of lips against lips, he repeated the actions over and over again. The brushes were soft and gentle, reassuring.

All in all, I'd say it wasn't a bad first kiss. And it was my first kiss. No matter what had happened with Charlie, he had never kissed me, never wanted me to feel anything other than pain. This… Well, this brought anything but pain. It was amazing. I could feel the care he seemed to possess for me through his actions and it made me feel special, made me feel perfect.

He took his time pulling away and I took my time opening my eyes. When I did, the intensity in his was startling. It felt like he was trying to see through me, see a part of me I wasn't sure I wanted seen.

I cleared my throat softly, looking away as I pulled from his grasp. "It's about time for dinner so I'm going to go put this in the dorm." I avoided his eyes as I grabbed my book and got up, trying to ignore the fact that I might have blushed just the tiniest bit for a minute.

He was waiting when I got back and we walked to the Great Hall together, his fingers twined with mine. People had finally stopped gawking at me when I walked into the room so we made our way to our seats at the Slytherin table. Our friends smiled when they saw our hands linked together, probably relieved it seemed like my bitch fit was over.

Dinner had been going peacefully until about half way through when Dumbledore stood up at the front and told us all that Ms. Bulstrode had something she wanted to share with everyone and that we should all be respectful.

As soon as he said her name, I knew I was fucked. I could tell immediately that it was her, that she had been in my things. It was like a rock had dropped into the pit of my stomach. My heart began to pound; hell, what was this bitch going to do?

She went to the front and pulled out her wand, casting a spell I recognized as one that would show memories without them being your own and another to make it like a muggle projection.

I now knew what she had taken and why I had no idea she had done it. Inside my trunk, there was a little box. It was white with a black rose on the cover, lying in a puddle of blood. Below it said, 'Pain and Love are one in the same.' Pain was the blood as well as the color of the rose, the pain of my impurity, the pain of death. Love for the rose itself, a red rose meaning love. That was where I had gotten my riddle from.

Inside this box, which looked small and flat on the outside, was my diary, the one I had kept from when I was 9 and all of my pain started to when I turned 14 when all of my pain, self inflicted and otherwise, ended. Under this, there was a false bottom, where I kept memories that I had copied from the originals and put in there to keep safe in case they were ever needed. They were labeled with a date and a short description of the occurrences in the memory.

I had no idea how she had found out about the bottom, but she did and now she was showing the entire school a bit of my past.

It had started before I could stop it, having been lost in thought and still from shock, but the gasp heard around the room knocked me out of my stupor.

_I woke up tied to my bed, my face in the pillow and a breeze blowing across bare skin that hadn't been bare when I had gone to bed. _

_Goose bumps rose on my skin as I felt the tip of something run down my spinal column. It was moved away and Charlie's voice floated into my ear from my left. _

"_You're awake. Good. You need to be awake for this to work. You have to feel the pain, accept it, for all that evil to bleed from your body."_

_Suddenly, a whoosh of air was heard and I felt something crack against the skin of my back, making a loud crack permeate through the room. _

_I clenched my jaw tight in order to keep from screaming at the pain now shooting through my body._

"_Do you know what this is, baby? This is a bull whip. It's what I'll be using to get all of that nasty blood from your body. You have to bleed all of the evil, all of the devil's magic from your body to heal. I promise, I'll make you better, baby. I won't let you be like your mother. I love you too much for that, pretty girl."_

_After he was done speaking, he started in on me. The whip came down over and over and over until I felt it rip through my skin, shredding it viciously and he didn't stop even as he cut through muscle._

_He kept telling me to scream out my pain, that it would help the pain end sooner; the treatment would be done quicker. But I refused to scream. I refused to give him what he wanted. Instead my mind wandered to happier times when my mom was alive. When she would sit me down and help me learn my spells for the day. I thought about what it would be like for someone to come and save me from this hell, to save me from my imminent death. _

_Tears streamed down my cheeks, the one thing I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back no matter how hard I tried. Finally, after what felt like an eternity later, he stopped and luckily my back was numb by then. _

_He sighed as he grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, "You didn't scream, baby. I'll have to do this again, although you won't know when. Next time you need to scream or I'll have to do this a lot more often."_

_He untied me and left the room, not caring if I bled to death or not. _

She had picked 'The first Whipping.' It was on the very top, so I was relieved to know she didn't delve too deep. It had happened when I was ten and what was seen wasn't even all of that memory. But I wasn't about to let all of it be shown, showing my weakness to the school. No way.

A wave of my hand and the spell was cancelled causing Bulstrode to look over at me with a smug look on her face. And me to see red.

I jumped up from chair and walked across the table, hopping down on the other side. I felt hands try to grab me, to pull me back away from her but no one would stop me from getting to her; not while I was like this.

I had never lost control this way before. I had never felt such anger, such hatred burning through my veins the way I did in that moment. I felt like it would leak through my pores, burning everything in its wake it was so strong.

I didn't notice my hair tie itself into a ponytail, the way it always is when I fight. I didn't notice my friends calling my name, telling me she wasn't worth it. I didn't feel the magic try to wrap around me and stop my progress towards my enemy only to fail as my magic whipped around me and cut off all other magic from reaching me. My entire being was consumed with the need to hurt, to bring blood to the surface of her skin and watch as it washed away from her. The rest of the room faded away as my mind set on one target. Millicent Bulstrode.

A bloodlust drove me forward even as she coward back from me, begging and pleading for help. I was on her in the next instant, my fists flying at her face, her stomach, ribs; anywhere I could reach that I knew would hurt like fuck. I would make sure she pissed blood for a week; that she choked on her own teeth as they were knocked down her throat; that her ribs splintered and pierce through her lungs.

In some part of my brain, I thought about Charlie. I pictured his face on Millicent and it made me want to hit her harder, to hurt her worse.

I had never felt such rage before, such a need to hurt someone, at least not all at one time. A small voice in the back of my mind was telling me that I should be afraid of these feelings coursing through me, but I wasn't afraid. I knew there would be consequences to this, but I couldn't bring myself to care as heard her nose snap for the third time, giving me a sick pleasure as she screamed for mercy, for reprieve from the pain as I smirked down at her.

I heard my own voice as if I was in a tunnel as I snarled at her, "You don't get mercy, bitch. I never did."

I don't know how long this went on, but I knew she was still screaming when I felt solid warm arms wrap around my upper body, pinning my arms to my sides. I immediately began to thrash around, shifting magic around my body in order to protect me from an attack.

That is until I heard my angel's voice in my ear.

"Shhh, Bella. It's alright, love. It's me; it's Draco. Please calm down, sweetheart." He whispered into my ear, his voice soothing me, bringing me back to the room that had just witnessed a horrible part of my past.

I blinked, looking down at the mess that was Millicent Bulstrode and felt no remorse. Her eyes were swollen shut, her mouth bloody and teeth gone; her nose was broken at different angles, jutting out in different directions.

I had ripped some of her hair out, her throat was bruised with hand marks on it, and it looked like her collarbones were broken as well. I was almost sure that she would be covered in bruises all over and I knew I could be expelled over this, but I didn't care. The only thing wrong with being expelled was that I would miss my friends, my brother, and most of all, Draco.

Speaking of which, he still had his arms around my chest, his lips still resting against my ear as he told me everything would be alright.

I couldn't take it anymore, because I knew he had just seen something that I had wanted to show him on my own time and something that was highly disturbing, even to me; and I had been the one to do it.

I shook his arms from me and walked to the podium where Bulstrode had set my memory vial, still holding the memory inside, seeing as the spell hadn't needed it to be anywhere else. I grabbed it and without looking back, I walked out of the Great Hall with my head held high. Once the doors had closed behind me, I ran.

I don't know how long I sat in the window of the Astronomy Tower. All I knew was that my hands were killing me as well as various other parts of my body where Millicent must've gotten a few shots in, and now, the entire school knew I was whipped by somebody named Charlie. That it was because I was magical. They now knew that I could hurt someone, although that in there wasn't even close to what I could do. That was done without a level head. That was animalistic, primal.

What an impression.

I knew exactly why Millicent did what she did. She wanted Draco to see me for what I was; used, defiled, disgusting; a whore to my step father. She wanted him to see that and leave me; a feat I still wasn't sure if she had accomplished.

As I thought about it, I felt tears well up in my eyes. I had just had my first kiss, something that I would hold with me always because it was by a boy that I really cared about. And now, I might have lost him because of what Charlie did to me. I snorted as I thought that it could also be because I'm a psycho bitch and maybe he was afraid I'd freak out on him like I did Bulstrode.

My tears finally fell and I didn't try to stop them. It was times like this that I wished I had someone to hold me.

I heard a noise come from the door and I looked up, meeting the eyes of the boy I was just thinking about.

I looked away, not wanting him to see that I was crying. I never liked anyone seeing me cry.

I curled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and burying my face in my knees. I heard him move towards me, sitting down in front of me.

"Bella…" He whispered gently. I looked up at him and saw that his eyes held understanding and concern; as well something that scared me too much to try to decipher what it was.

He reached out and gently took my hands into his own, pulling a salve from his pocket that, as he rubbed it in, made my hands feel a shit ton better, easing the swelling and healing the cuts in my knuckles.

Putting the salve away, he pulled me into his arms and held me close, his warm arms comforting.

The fact that I would have never let anyone do this to me before shocked me, although it shouldn't. Draco had a way of weaseling his way into people's hearts and making a home there. I would have thought it would have taken longer for me to get this comfortable with touch from any man other than Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, and Edward. They were the only men I knew would never hurt me. But now I guess I could add Draco to that list as well.

"My father is a Governor of Hogwarts School and he is here about the fight in the Great Hall. He hasn't been informed of what happened because Professor Snape got him to agree to wait until you could tell the story yourself in the Headmaster's office. They sent me to come get you." Draco spoke softly into my ear, his lips brushing over it.

I nod against his chest and pull back, stretching my legs to place my feet on the ground and stand up. I look over at him as he gets up with me, heading toward the door with me behind him.

Getting to the Headmaster's office, I was ushered to sit down. Before doing so, I scanned the room finding that Malfoy Sr. was there along with my Head of House and Dumbledore, of course.

Sitting down across from the Headmaster, he began to speak.

"Isabella, I have called you here so that you could tell Mr. Malfoy the story of what happened."

I nod. That was easy enough.

"Also, I think it is time we know the truth." He said this gently, as if talking to someone who might blow up at any moment.

I didn't blow up. My heart stopped beating for a moment, but I didn't blow up. I knew that I didn't have a choice, but I still didn't want to have to relive all of the events that led my life to this point. It was painful enough the first time; why would I want to do it again? I see it enough in my dreams, and any other time, I try not to think about it.

But instead of saying all of this, I nod again and prepare myself for a long night.

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**So, what'd you think? I tried to make it so Bella had a few good moments in a bad day, did I succeed? Tell me what you guys thought, please. Reviews give me inspiration. :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	9. Chapter 9 Part 1

**Hi. Now I have a warning that I hope you all heed with this chapter. It is explaining a lot about Bella's past. It contains Rape, abuse and death. And this is just the first half. The original chapter was 19 pages long. That was a bit too long in my opinion. So the second chapter is complete, I just have to reread it and make sure there aren't too many mistakes. lol. I hope that these two chapters don't lose me too many readers, though I know the next chapter might be a bit much. **

**Anyway, the song is the chorus for Demi Lovato's new song, Skyscraper and it is all hers, and Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. **

**On with the story. **

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I felt numb. I had to detach myself from the situation at hand or it wouldn't have been pretty. It felt as if I was watching the night as if I were an observer like the professors and Mr. Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy, you may take your leave now." The Headmaster directed this to Draco, who looked at me instead of doing what Dumbledore had said.

"He stays, or this doesn't happen; your choice." I said, knowing they would choose the former simply out of morbid curiosity.

"Are you quite certain, Ms. Swan?" Dumbledore said, looking at me with a faint twinkle that was nowhere near its usual brightness, but there nonetheless.

"Positive."

"Alright then. Seeing as how it is already quite late I believe we should get this started."

I turned the chair towards a blank expanse of wall to the left of the Headmaster's desk, hearing the others follow my example. With a silent spell the wall had a white square on it, waiting for me to send the memory through the connection that was now formed.

"What you are about to witness doesn't leave this room. If it does, I will hunt you down and take every memory you have of me and I will disappear. And don't give me that look Professor, because I have the ability to take them, even from you with all of that protection around your mind. I should also warn you that my memories aren't pleasant. If you have a weak stomach or heart problems, leave now. This isn't the place for you."

Seeing that they all took my warning to heart, I projected my first memory onto the wall.

_I said the spell again and this time, the book floated into the air and across the room into my hands. I smiled widely up at my mom and received the same smile in return. _

"_I did it, mama. Can you believe it, I did it!" I said excitedly, looking down at the book in my hands. Now, at nine years old, this wouldn't usually be such an accomplishment; but seeing as how I was a nine year old without a wand and could do it, it was something to be proud of. _

"_I'm so proud of you, baby. You're doing so well." Renee said softly, leaning over to kiss my forehead gently. I smiled again, before finishing what I had started and floating the book back over to where it came from. _

_We had to do this during the day while Charlie was at work. Mom had told me a long time ago that he could never know what we were or what went on in this room, that he wouldn't understand and our lives would change drastically if he were to ever learn of our magic._

_My mom handed me a book on how to control the magic around me and told me start reading the first chapter. She sat back against the headboard and pulled my head to rest gently in her lap, her fingers carding through my long midnight black hair. _

_I had been reading for about a half an hour before my mom stopped me and told me she had something important to tell me and that I needed to listen carefully. _

_I'll never forget what she told me next._

"_Bella, I need you to listen closely. I need you to promise me something. Can you do that, love?" She said, taking my hands into hers and looking into my eyes. There was something off about the way she was looking at me, something I couldn't put my finger on but I let it go for now. _

"_Of course, mama; anything." I replied. _

"_I need you to promise me that you will never give up, no matter what happens. I need you to promise me that you will keep going; you will try to move on knowing that I love you more than life itself. I want your word that you'll keep moving forward and never look back. That you'll never forget who you are, never forget where you came from; I want you to continue learning your magic, continue practicing. Never let anyone take that from you because it is what makes you special. But most of all, no matter how much you might not want to continue, always live, baby. Live your life to the fullest and do everything you can to be happy. Promise me."_

_I was shocked. I had never heard my mom talk this way before, almost like she knew she wouldn't be there anymore. It was terrifying and my eyes filled with tears, quickly overflowing and I couldn't stop them._

"_Mama, what's going on? Why are you talking like this?" I asked fearfully. I almost didn't want to know the answer._

"_No reason, love, no reason. Please calm down, Bella. I didn't mean to scare you." She said as she pulled me into her lap, holding me close as I cried into her chest. She rocked us softly, cooing into my ear how everything would be alright, how much she loved me. _

_After awhile, I turned my head up, sniffling, and saw her smile down at me._

"_Now, see? All better." She whispered kissing my tear tracks as they slowly dwindled to a stop. _

_I nodded before nuzzling into her warmth again. What was I thinking? Why would mom not be here anymore? She just wanted me to promise her so she would feel better._

_Or at least that was what I consciously told myself._

"_I promise, mama. I'll do whatever you say." I said softly, knowing she would hear me in the silence of the room. _

"_Thank you, my Bella. I love you so very much." She whispered back._

"_I love you, too, mama. Always."_

_Later that night, I woke up to a loud crashing noise from downstairs. I shook off the disorientation, jumping quickly from the bed and slipping on my slippers._

_I made my way to the door slowly and silently, opening it a crack to listen to what was going on downstairs to cause such noise._

"…_You are nothing but a demon that shouldn't be here to contaminate my daughter with your filth any long…." I didn't listen much to the rest, opening the door and walking quickly down the stairs to see for myself what was happening. Dad's words didn't make any sense. Mom wasn't a demon; she was a witch and so was I. Mom wasn't contaminating me…_

_I stopped at the bottom of the stairs as every fiber in my body went cold. Red. There was so much of it. Blood all over the place and my mom's wand in the far right corner of the room. Even though I had known what happened subconsciously, it didn't kick in until it was much too late._

"_Mama!" I cried, running toward the bloodied, mangled figure lying on the floor that had once been the most beautiful woman I had ever known. I had to get to my mom, I had to save her._

_I had been so preoccupied with thoughts of needing to get to my mom that I didn't notice Charlie turn and slap me with the knife still in his hand, the blow so hard that it knocked me half way into the kitchen, away from my mom. _

_He stabbed the knife into my mom a few more times, each time the knife coming out more bloody then the last. I had started crying at some point but I was beyond caring. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the most wonderful woman I had ever known, knowing that she would now never come back and save the day like she usually did._

_I stared up at the man who I had considered my father all my life. He was walking towards me, covered in my mother's life source. I was terrified and I couldn't get up, the floor was slippery with my own blood._

_I held my cheek in my hand, trying to think of a way out of here, away from this evil person, from my worst nightmares come true._

_"I had to do it baby. The Lord would have punished me had I let the devil's spawn live. You wouldn't want daddy punished would you?" He had lost his mind. The look in his eyes told me that much. He went on, not waiting for me to answer__._

_"And now, I have to make sure you are still pure from the demons that got your mom. But don't worry, pretty girl, I'll make sure they are all gone when I'm done."_

_He started towards me again, only this time, he didn't stop. He never stopped..._

_He sliced my clothes away from my body, the knife cutting into my skin quite a few times but he didn't care. I fought as hard as I could, but he had at least 200 pounds on me so there really wasn't much I could do. _

_He forced my slim legs apart, looking down at my blood covered body as if admiring his work. I was disgusted and terrified, and as I tried to lift my hands to press on his chest to push him away, he started to undo his pants._

_My struggle increased tenfold, my soft cries as the blade cut my body becoming pleas for him not to do this, but he wasn't listening. In order to stop me, he place the blade to my neck, letting it dig in just enough to make me bleed and fear that he would kill me._

"_Now, baby, I'm going to make sure all the bad things leave your body. The only way they can leave is blood. Surely you understand?" With that, he thrust into the part of my body that mom had always told me was my private place, a place that no one could touch me without my permission. _

_She had lied, and I couldn't bring myself to be angry with her._

_I cried out as he thrust over and over, never stopping or slowing down. He took his knife and carved words and lines into my body, anywhere he could reach. It hurt, it hurt so much, but I couldn't stop it. He was stronger, faster and he had a knife poised at my neck; a silent threat that one wrong move and I'd die._

_Suddenly, he pulled out and flipped me over onto my stomach, bringing me up onto my knees with my bottom in the air. _

_No words were said this time as he thrust into the little hole between my cheeks. I couldn't keep it in this time; I screamed loudly, begging him to stop, to let me go. But nothing worked. He continued as if he hadn't heard a thing I was saying, carving more into my back, lines and patterns. _

_Finally, when I thought it would never end and I would die from blood loss, he came inside my abused and bloodied hole. He pulled out and wiped the blood and semen off of his privates onto my body. _

"_There we go, baby. Let yourself bleed some more, then clean the floor of it before you go to bed. I have to dispose of the trash." With that being said, Charlie left the room and went to drag my mother outside into the backyard. _

_I collapsed and lay on my side, my eyes dead, my body numb. I was starting to feel just how much blood I had lost and my eyes were beginning to droop closed. _

_I started to__ softly sing with what voice I had left the little song my mom had always sung to me when I was little as a lullaby._

_**You can take everything I have**__**.  
You can break everything I am.  
Like I'm made of glass  
Like I'm made of paper  
Go on and try to tear me down  
I will be rising from the ground  
Like a skyscraper  
Like a skyscraper**_

_Suddenly, as if in a dream, I heard my mom make me promise to stay alive, to never give up. What would I be doing to her memory if I didn't try to keep my promise?_

_With the little strength that I still possessed, I pushed the magic out of my body, sealing the wounds that Charlie had inflicted. I was sure that there was something I could do to get rid of the scars, but I didn't know what so all I worried about was closing the gashes. _

_After about ten minutes, my body was healed enough for me to get up and walk to the pantry to retrieve a package of crackers and a water bottle. My mom had always told me when the need to replenish my blood arose and I had no potion for it, to eat and drink something, anything that was in close vicinity to me._

_I looked down at the spot on the floor where a puddle of blood as big as my body sat, and I was too tired to clean it by hand. So, I spelled the floor as clean as I could and sipped my water as I slowly made my way upstairs and to the shower. _

_After a hot shower, I lay in bed staring at the necklace that I had found on my dresser when I came back into the room. _

_It was of an S facing the correct way, with a backwards S connecting it together in the center, creating a heart shape. Only the S's weren't letters, they were snakes. Green in color, with little black patches across their skin. They looked so real it was weird. _

_I unhooked the clasp and hooked it back when I got it around my neck. I would wear it always, because I knew it was my mother's last gift to me; the necklace that belonged to the man that fathered me that he had given to her on her 18__th__ birthday. She had said it was the best gift she had ever gotten second only to me. _

_I fell asleep that night and had no nightmares; I knew that my life had now become one. What was the point in dreaming them up anymore?_

"After that night, he left me alone for about a month, probably believing that I needed time to heal. How nice of him, right?" I said, my voice holding a heavy sarcasm as I said the last sentence.

I looked around the faces of the room and saw all of them watching me, as if expecting a break down. What they didn't realize yet was that I had grieved over all of this already. Also, if they thought this was bad, they hadn't seen anything yet. The next few memories I planned to show would give them all nightmares for weeks.

I looked at Draco last, afraid of his reaction the most, and saw in his eyes a horror that had been in all the men's eyes. It was unavoidable after that display and I had no doubt that it would remain there for quite some time.

"Are you all ready to go on?" I asked them, my voice cool and calm when on the inside I was anything but. I didn't want them to see what I knew they would soon, not because I was ashamed; no, I knew it wasn't my fault. My real fear was because I knew enough about purebloods to know that they were very adamant about an heir; something that I couldn't give to the Malfoy family.

_I stood staring in__to the full length mirror, into the dull lifeless eyes set on a sunken face marred with a scar lining my left cheek that was pink and puckered; lips so dry and chapped it hurt to lick them, long black hair that lay stringy and wet down to my lower back; a small thin body with my rib cage clearly visible, so much so that I could count each rib. Breasts, that were just beginning to develop at the tender age of 11, were small with light tan nipples; something Charlie seemed to favor about me. My eyes roamed down my ugly body, stopping to look at each scar, remembering how I got each individual one. _

_Once I got down to the apex of my too thin thighs, I sneered in disgust. I hated my body, hated what 'God' gave me; Charlie always told me it was beautiful, so I hated it. I could never find beauty in something that had been so defiled by someone. I hadn't grown any hair yet, something Charlie seemed to enjoy and had once told me that when the hair did start to grow it would have to be removed anyway. _

_I didn't look any farther, knowing what I would see. I began to pull the sweats and big black t-shirt on now that I had ruined my appetite for the evening; not that I would have eaten much anyway. I had stopped eating properly after the first time Charlie hurt me; I didn't want to give him anything to like about me. I figured if I made myself as unattractive as possible, he might leave me alone. I was wrong of course, seeing as he was hell bent on 'riding me of my demons.' _

_I brushed my hair and teeth before leaving the bathroom and heading for my bedroom. _

_I stopped dead when I saw who was waiting for me. _

"_Come here, sweet girl. I have another session planned for you." Charlie said softly as he stood from my bed. I didn't move as my eyes scanned the other three people in the room, three men that I had never met before. _

"_These are a few of my friends from work, baby. They're here to help me heal you. If this shows positive signs of progress, this will become a regular occurrence." He said his voice holding condescending concern in it, like it always did. _

_And I did what I never before got the chance to do; I ran._

_I ran quickly down the__ stairs and into the kitchen, heading for the backdoor. But I wasn't fast enough, almost as if Charlie had expected it, and I was caught just as I got the door unlocked. _

"_No!" I cried as big arms wound around my waist. I was terrified, I hated it when Charlie touched me and now all these other men would too. No, I would fight harder this time. They wouldn't touch me. _

_I kicked and punched, biting and scratching; anything I could do to get them off of me. I yelled for help, even knowing that no one would hear me. We lived in the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas. No one lived within a mile of our house; but that didn't stop me from trying. _

_I felt a hand smack me hard enough to have me seeing stars. I felt it again, only the back of the hand to my opposite cheek._

"_Enough! That is not how you act with company in the house. You will treat them with respect." Charlie demanded harshly. I hated when he got mad, he always blamed me for my mom's death, saying that she would still be here if I had been a good girl. It completely contradicted everything else he had always said to me but that didn't stop it from hurting every time._

_I looked into his eyes, showing him the hatred that burned deep in my soul for him and spat onto his face. _

"_Fuck you. I hope you rot in hell, you piece of shit." I whispered viciously._

_The next few hours went by filled with pain and humiliation. I was forced to take one of the men into my mouth as two others filled my everywhere else. It felt like they were tearing me apart and Charlie just kept whispering into my ear how this was my punishment, that I was a bad girl and needed to be taught a lesson. It was like he had forgotten about his need to rid me of my magic and had begun just wanting to hurt me. _

_Every time they came, they would pull out and beat me for a little while as they waited for their erections to come back. How anyone could find beating a little girl arousing to look at, I would never know, but these men did. I was pissed on by all of them as they laughed and called me worthless and disgusting. They commented to Charlie how ugly I was, how skinny and scarred; he would laugh as they did, agreeing with them. Once they were ready again, they would change positions. Two in my back entrance, two in my front. They made me swallow when they came in my mouth, loving my pain. _

_I had never hated someone as much as I did in that moment. Before, Charlie had always told me that he loved me and that he was just doing what God wanted. But these men, they were making me do the most disgusting things, doing the most disgusting things to me. Who uses a person as a toilet?_

_As all of this went on, I could only think of one thing, could only remind myself to keep quiet. I hadn't made a noise since this started, no matter how much they urged me or did something to specifically cause it. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing what they wanted. _

_After what felt like an eternity, I felt a last kick to my side causing me to gasp in a surprised breath and they left me lying in the kitchen by the door that might have led to my freedom, as if they were taunting me. _

_My mind immediately went to my favorite lullaby and I started singing it softly. I was the only thing that kept me calm after a 'session.' _

_After awhile, I picked myself up off the ground and limped up the stairs, hearing Charlie and his friends watching baseball in the living room. I closed myself up in the bathroom, running a scalding hot bath and laying in it, letting the men's juices wash off of me, feeling nothing but pain. _

"_Mom… I miss you." I whispered into the empty room as I drained the water, only to refill it with clean water, hoping she would hear me, wherever she was. _

I stopped the memory and kept my eyes on the blank space on the wall.

"Merlin…" I heard Mr. Malfoy say softly, though I refused to look at him. Professor Snape had yet to say anything; although I was sure he remembered the necklace from the first memory. I didn't look at Draco this time; I was too afraid he would hold revulsion in his gaze now.

"Ready to go on?" I asked in a monotone voice that left them no room to doubt just how I was getting through this.

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**So, that did you think? I'll have the next chapter up in probably about an hour. I hope you like it. :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	10. Chapter 10 Part 2

**Hi. So, I have added the secong part to Bella's eventful night in the Headmaster's office. Another warning. FORCED ABORTION AND OTHER THINGS that you'll find out! If that freaks you out, I'm sorry. But my muse wouldn't allow me to not put it in. I hope you all still enjoy my story.**

**I own nothing. :(**

**One with the story.**

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For the next couple of hours, I showed them different memories of different times Charlie forced me to do things. How he brought in another girl when I was twelve and made me pleasure her and her me; the whippings that occurred twice more after the time when I was 10, the last one having been so bad I thought I was going to die before it had even ended; once when Charlie had made me where a sign that said 'Fuck the freak for five dollars.' I had been in a particularly massive amount of pain that day after Charlie had sent his entire precinct home.

I thought cops were supposed to care about little girls being sexually abused, not join in.

They watched as I continued to study all of the books that my mom had left me, needing to know as much as I could about the magic coursing through my veins; watched as I taught myself Occlumeny and Legilimency. Besides her books, all of her other belongings had been stored in the attic after many failed attempts at throwing them out. Every time Charlie tried, they would reappear where they had started.

They saw me grow into the body I had been given, seeing parts of me that I never thought I would show anyone again. I had once again started to eat, so by the time I was 14 I had gained my weight back and looked much healthier.

When I reached the memory I dreaded the most, I spoke again.

"What I'm about to show you is a very emotional time for me, so if I start to cry, say nothing."

With that being said, I played the memory of the last time Charlie would ever hurt me.

_I sat down heavily on the toilet behind me, looking at the little stick in my hands, not wanting to believe what I was seeing. _

_I was pregnant. With a child I had no clue as to who the father was._

_And I was elated._

_It didn't matter that this baby was the product of rape, it didn't matter that I had no idea who the father was. This child was innocent, beautiful, and all mine. I was having a baby, a creature that would grow and develop in my body, needed me to survive. I would give my life for this child already and I had just discovered it was there. _

_I hoped I had a boy, but I would love my baby no matter what gender they were. _

_Now, how did I keep this from the monster downstairs…?_

I switched to the next memory, almost two months later.

_I made my way into the kitchen, stopping as I saw Charlie sitting at the kitchen table. _

_I slowly began to walk backwards, back up the stairs, but he heard me and turned to look at me. _

_Getting up from his seat he made his way toward me and caught my arm before I could run back upstairs. I was pulled roughly to the floor, me fighting all the way, and my shirt was yanked up over my head, being pulled down my arms to keep them locked in place._

_Charlie's eyes had never left my belly, however. I knew what he saw; I was starting to show. I had done so well at keeping it from him for this long and now he found out anyway. I began fighting again, trying to get away from him, not knowing what he would do to me now. _

"_You little bitch. I won't let you bring another demon into this world. I've been trying so hard to keep you from being one; no way in hell will I let you spawn one!" Charlie pulled me back up, ignoring my fighting and pulled my shirt back on. _

_He yanked me outside, closing the door behind us and getting into the car. After pushing me into the back seat, he began to drive. I had no idea where he was taking me, and I was terrified. What was he going to do to my baby?_

_About 4 hours later, we were in Austin, Texas, heading to a horrid looking part of town and I was getting increasingly more fearfully. I was afraid for myself because if I wasn't around, my baby would die as well. I was the only thing at the moment keeping my baby alive. He couldn't live without me. _

_We pulled onto an old dirt road and drove on it for about ten minutes before pulling up in front of an old building. I didn't get much time to look around._

_Charlie parked the car quickly, pulling me from the back seat and dragging me inside as I fought to get away. He bypassed the counter inside the building, walking straight into the back room and into an office. He stopped in front of man who looked to be about 60 and the man lifted his head from his paperwork. _

"_Get rid of it. Now." Charlie said. My eyes widened and my struggles got stronger. I leaned down to bite into his hand and he cried out sharply as he let go, giving me my out. _

_I ran as fast as I could down a hallway to my right, the opposite direction of the door. I figured that would give them a better way of catching me, after all there was a car parked outside. I couldn't outrun a car. _

_I followed the all white hallways that led me in tons of different directions; this building hadn't looked nearly as big on the outside. That should have tipped me off that something wasn't right. _

_I turned another corner only to come face to face with the man from the office. How had he done that? He reached out to grab me and I sent my magic from my body, crashing it into him and sending him flying back about a hundred feet. I turned to run the other way before I heard a spell being said. I knew it was a spell because I had been taught it by my mom all those years ago. _

_Before I knew what hit me, I felt my body freeze up and I fell heavily to the floor. I heard footsteps and suddenly, I saw shoes standing in front of me. All I could think was that I should have run for the door. Now I wouldn't get out. _

"_I have her, Charlie." I heard him call as my body was lifted into strong arms. Only my eyes could move and I watched as Charlie came into view. _

"_Thanks, James. Now get rid of that thing in her." Charlie said while looking at me coldly. _

_My eyes welled up with tears as I caught up with what that meant. I would lose my baby; they were going to take him and I could do nothing about it._

"_I can do that." The man, James, said to Charlie, smirking at him. _

_He looked down at me and said, "Don't worry princess. You won't feel a thing…" It was the last thing I heard before I felt a needle push into my arm and I slipped out of consciousness. _

_When I woke up, I was back in my room in Charlie's house. For a moment, I couldn't remember what happened. _

_Then it all came flooding back._

_I immediately reached down to feel my stomach and no longer felt the small bump that had once been there. I cried out softly, tears beginning to fall as I sat up quickly. I felt blood seep out of my vagina and I knew my baby was gone. _

_I looked over at my nightstand to see what time it was, and I almost threw up. _

_There, leaning against my clock, was a sonogram photo. It showed my baby in the very early stages of development and I began to cry more heavily. I shakily reached out to grab it, not wanting to believe it was real._

"_Like that, do you? I figured you might want something to remember it by." My head shot towards the door where Charlie stood leaning on the doorframe casually with his arms crossed over his chest._

"_Also, I thought you might like that seeing as how you'll never see another one again." He said smirking at my confused look._

"_What the hell do you mean?" I said harshly, my voice choked and full of tears. I was almost too afraid to listen to the answer. _

"_I took the liberty of having him remove your eggs so that you can no longer become pregnant. There were quite a few so he agreed to take them as payment for the abortion. He said they should sell for quite a bit." Charlie then had the audacity to smile at me. _

_The glass from my window shook violently before it shattered into pieces behind my head, and it flew towards the man that had started to back out of the room when it had begun to quake. He closed the door as quickly as he could but some of bigger pieces stabbed into his body before he got the chance._

_I heard his cry of pain, but it didn't register in my mind. All I could think was no, no, no. My baby was gone. My ability to ever give birth was gone. I had nothing left._

_I screamed, again and again, until my throat grew hoarse and I could do nothing but sob and cry. Some many years spent holding it all in and now it was coming out. I had lost the most precious thing in the world to me. Charlie had taken yet another person I loved from me. _

_I lay on my side, not caring that I was bleeding heavily, and curled myself into a tight ball, trying to protect something that wasn't there anymore, that would never be there again. _

_It felt like I couldn't breathe, like all of the breath was sucked from my body and there was no more air in the atmosphere for me to draw in. My chest hurt, like someone was reaching into it, curling a hand around my heart, squeezing a few times before pulling it out completely. I almost wished someone would._

_I didn't know how long I lay there crying, wishing that it was all a dream and knowing that it wasn't. But after awhile, the tears dried up and all that was left were my sniffles and sobs. _

_I brought the sonogram photo up to my face, tracing the small body, only about an inch or so in length. He was so small, so beautiful. I could tell he would have been a boy, even if he had just started to develop his penis, I could just tell. He would always be my little boy. _

_I didn't get out of bed for almost two days after that. I was in too much pain to even contemplate that concept. It didn't matter that I was bloody and I needed a bath, I didn't care. It wasn't until about seven that I did finally get up and head to the bathroom to__ clean up. I place the picture in a book that I favored that my mom had given me. _

"_I'll love you always, my sweet." I whispered kissing the picture as my eyes burned although there were no more tears left to cry. _

_I showered quickly, hating how much blood I washed off of my body because it reminded me of what I had gone through. Getting out and putting a pad into clean underwear, I got dressed in a pair of sweats and a black shirt. I looked at myself in the mirror and hated what I saw more than anything. _

_I saw a failure. I saw a disgusting whore that failed to save her own child. I hated the girl I was seeing, hated myself. I hadn't saved the one thing that would have given me happiness, the only innocent thing left in my life. I didn't deserve something I couldn't protect._

_I grabbed the scissors from the drawer on my right and grabbed a section of my hair. It was so long and pretty, black as the night sky with no stars. And now, for the first time ever, it would be gone. _

_I began to cut, not caring if it was even or not, not caring how short or ugly it looked. All I cared about was getting rid of it. It was time for a change and this was the first to go. _

_Chopping at my hair, I felt it slid down my body and onto the floor, long strands covering a good portion of the floor when I was done. _

_I put the scissors down and looked in the mirror again, seeing the choppy, almost shoulder length hair. I thought it looked different and that was all I wanted at the moment. _

_I focused my magic into growing different parts of my hair to match the rest, cutting more of it into layers, the shortest being about 2 inches in length. _

_Looking at my new hairstyle, I gave myself bangs that hung down over my eyebrows all the way across my forehead, straight as straight could be. Finally, with a whispered spell, I ran my fingers through my hair, leaving behind white blonde hair. I made sure my eyebrows matched, even if you couldn't see them under my hair and looked at myself, satisfied that I looked quite different. _

_I fucked with my hair a bit, combing my bangs with my fingers before nodding and leaving the room. _

_In my bedroom, I changed into a dark pair of jeans that I resized to fit me properly seeing as how all the ones that did fit me were dirty. The shirt I put on was black; a color I thought fit the situation the best at the moment. Putting my converse on, I walked out the door and down the stairs. _

_Stepping into the living room, I saw Charlie sitting in his chair in front of the TV and walked over to stand in front of him. _

_He looked up and, seeing my new look, jumped up and reached out to grab me. _

"_I told you never to do that in my house!" He said sharply, grabbing the front of my shirt and pulling me closer to him. _

_Suddenly, a knife flew into the room and I grabbed the butt out of midair and held the tip to Charlie's neck._

_He let go of me immediately and I laughed cruelly. "What, Charlie? Scared of a little knife? You sure weren't when you stabbed my mom to death." _

_He started to back away from me and I walked with him. He tripped over the rug on the floor and fell back onto his ass._

_I leaned over his body and shook my head in mocking sadness. "Pathetic," I said softly. "You hate losing control, don't you Charlie? Hmm. Well, too bad. I have it now and I'd like to see you get it back." I reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, opening it and finding he had about a thousand dollars in cash in it. _

"_Stupid, stupid man. Hasn't anyone ever told you not to keep this much money in your wallet? No? Oh well. You know now." I smiled down at him and threw his now empty wallet onto his chest. Before I walked away, I carved one word into his right forearm, ignoring his screams of pain._

_He would forever bore the word __'Murderer' on his arm. If only it would ever sink in._

_I left the house with his money in my pocket. I had a lot of shit to do._

"After that, he never touched me again. I learned a few different fighting styles, got an entirely new wardrobe with his money, my lip piercing. I have a number of tattoos all over my body, each with its own meaning. He fucked me up, big time. He stole the most important things from me; my mom, my baby, my ability to have anymore. I have nothing else. The only reason why I've lived this long is the promise I made to my mom, and my friends back in Texas." I said looking up at the men in the room with tears in my eyes.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't hate that man. I have nightmares now, because my living nightmare is over. I can never escape what he did. And I'll still have to face him again when I go get my mom's things from his attic."

"Why didn't you go and stay with your friends?" Mr. Malfoy asked softly.

I looked over at him and said, "Charlie couldn't find out about them. I didn't want to put them at risk. I didn't meet them until I was almost 15, when I sold them the finished lyrics to my mom's lullaby. They even let me sing it on their album. It's how I got any money at all. They gave me a cut of all the money that they made when they started letting me sing my songs, and some of theirs. They loved my voice too much to pass up the chance," I said softly with a slight smile. "They're magical as well." I added at they're looks of confusion.

I finally took the chance to look at the Headmaster and noticed that he had been crying with me. He looked at me with pain filled eyes, as if he could understand how I felt.

"What did you do after that night?" Draco asked softly.

I didn't look at him as I replied, "After my shopping spree, I started going out every night to a new lesbian club that had just opened. I made myself a fake idea, and got drunk almost every night, pleasuring the woman who bought me the drinks that night in the bathroom. It was always a different woman and I never let them reciprocate or kiss me, but I didn't care at the moment what I was doing. I was in so much pain and the alcohol numbed it, but I wouldn't touch a man. So I switched to woman and trust me, it worked just as well.

"After I met the Cullen's, my friends back home, I went on tour with them twice, singing my songs and playing the guitar with them. They had taught me how to play and I loved it. I had so much fun and it wasn't until just recently, when I came here, that I finally got out of that house completely. It really wasn't as if Charlie had tried to stop me; he was too afraid of what I would do to him once I had showed him I could use my magic, I just chose not to."

"Why did you never stop him before, if you had the means to do so?" Professor Snape asked quietly, the first time he had spoken all night.

"You knew my mother, Professor. You knew how she felt about using magic against muggles. Do you really think she would bring me up any differently?" I replied softly. I continued on so the others would understand. "My mother never believed it was right to do magic on muggles. She always felt as if it wasn't fair that they couldn't defend themselves against a spell coming their way. She felt it was morally wrong, and I was raised to believe the same thing."

We sat in silence for awhile before the Headmaster finally spoke.

"Well, I believe we have all had enough for the night. Mr. Malfoy, maybe you could return tomorrow for her story on the happenings in the Great Hall?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course, Headmaster. I will see you tomorrow evening?" Mr. Malfoy replied.

Dumbledore just nodded as we all left the office, knowing that tomorrow would suck too, but at least not as bad as today had.

Draco, Professor Snape, and I all walked silently back to the dungeons after Draco said goodbye to his father. Snape walked us to the common room and bid us goodnight, his eyes training on me longer than normal. Did he finally guess that I was his daughter?

"Well, goodnight then." I said softly as I headed for the girls' dormitories.

Draco grabbed my hand gently, pulling me back into his solid chest. His head bent slightly and his lips pressed to mine. I melted into his embrace just as the kiss ended and he whispered goodnight against my lips.

I was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, Draco's lips still at the forefront of my mind.

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**So,** **what did you think? I'll accept flames, but I won't care about them. I have made this story what I want it to be, so if you don't like it, I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy it with me. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys. I know it has been a long time since I last updated and this chapter really doesn't have much in it, just a little surprise for you at the end. it is mostly a chapter to get me closer to where I want to be. Anyway, here it is and I hope you like it. And I wanted to thank you all who reviewed; they really help fuel my muse. It means a lot to me that so many of you like my work.**

**All mistakes are my own. I own nothing. :(**

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The next morning, I met up with Draco in the common room and we walked to the Great Hall together. I guess he knew I would need his support for what I knew was about to happen when I walked in.

Hand in hand, we walked through the big oak doors and it was as if everyone was suddenly paralyzed with shock, it had gotten so quiet. Damn, once again, all fucking eyes were on me.

Silently, we made our way to our seats and I was relieved to see that at least the people I somewhat knew weren't gawking at me. I raised my eyes up to lock with the Headmaster's and he nodded slightly, as if giving me his encouragement.

Sitting down and getting my coffee while putting a few strips of bacon on my plate, I acted like the stares didn't bother me, that I didn't even notice them. But on the inside, I wanted to scream at them all to go on about their own damn business.

And as if this morning couldn't get any fucking worse, Bulstrode's annoying voice came out with, "Wow, she actually had the guts to show her face. I'm surprised." She made sure her voice was loud enough to be heard around the hall and it started up a massive uproar of conversations throughout the tables.

I saw her fat face look at me smugly, still bruised because the salve apparently hadn't been very strong. I just met her eyes, my face an impassive mask as I sipped my coffee. Her eyes narrowed slightly at my lack of reaction before she looked at one of her friends and began pointing in my direction, whispering about something which caused them to laugh.

I still bet she was pissed off that her plan hadn't worked.

Draco squeezed my hand softly under the table and I smiled at him gratefully. He sure did seem to make dealing with this easier.

I finished my first cup of coffee soon thereafter and refilled it, nibbling on my bacon. The mail came and went; I wasn't really expecting a reply from Alice and the others after the nasty letter I had sent them. Words like 'maim' and 'castrate' had been used liberally. I smirked darkly as I thought of how they might have reacted to that.

The whisperers and stares will still in full force when breakfast ended and everyone went in their respective directions. I stood outside of Potions with Draco and the others, listening to their conversations about what they would each be doing for Christmas. I didn't understand why they were worried about it; it was another month or so away.

Finally, Professor Snape showed up and after we all got situated he told us to get started on the potion he had assigned for us to brew.

Throughout the entire class, people would look over at me and whisper something to their partner. I was doing pretty good with ignoring it all when some brave soul whispered loudly, "She probably won't stand up for herself because she's ashamed that we all know the truth."

I looked up slowly, my eyes narrowing as I noticed it was the girl Bulstrode had been whispering to during breakfast. Everyone that was in the general vicinity of the two of us looked at her like she had grown a second head, probably thinking about what I had done to her friend last night.

I guess it was time I taught her a lesson as well.

I stepped out from around my desk, ignoring Draco's warning hand touching my arm and walked calmly until I stood in front of her own work station.

"Ashamed of what exactly, darlin'?" I said quietly, my accent more pronounced in my anger, looking into her eyes and hoping she could see that anger burning in my soul.

She looked back at me arrogantly and said, "Ashamed because now that we all know how you lived before, we've realized just how much of a freak you really are." I saw Professor Snape get up and stand by his desk, ready to step in if needed.

But apparently, this girl wasn't done.

"No one feels sorry for you, you know. We all know you probably deserved it, that you got what was coming to you. Or maybe, you'd even asked for it. You do seem like the type who'd like pain." She smirked smugly at me, even as the room looked at her like she was stupid.

I waited a second, seeing if she was going to dig herself into a bigger hole before I said, "Are you done, now?" I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as she nodded the smirk still in place.

"Good; because now it's my turn. I don't care if every damn person in this school thinks I'm a freak, a slut, or even a fucking hippogriff in disguise. I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to learn as much as I can and get the fuck out as quickly as possible.

"I don't care if people feel fucking sorry for me, because their pity would be wasted on me. They should focus more of it on someone who needs it, like you for instance."

She tried to interrupt me and I held my hand up and said, "Ah, now I'm not done. I was ever so patient while you spoke, you can do the same for me. Now, like I was saying, they should pity you because you are nobody of importance in a house you aren't wanted in and you have to try to be the center of attention all the time."

I smirk at her affronted look and continue. "You hate it that I'm getting all this attention, don't you? That's why you're being a bitch, because you can't stand the thought of someone else having your spotlight, so you had to do whatever you could to get it back. Well let me give you a hint. You still aren't in the spotlight, even right now. Because someone who's been here for six years and has nothing about them people don't know already isn't as important as the new girl with a past no one has any clue as to where to begin. And even though it isn't by choice, it's just a fact.

"So, I really hope you get this through your thick fucking head and it stays in the pea sized brain you have up there that I don't give a fuck what you or anyone else has to say. You can talk all you want, you can tell people how ashamed I must be, but it will never be true; because I can't be ashamed of something that I had no control over. And as for me being into pain; people usually call others names like that because they're _ashamed_ to admit they're one themselves." With that, I turned around and walked calmly back over to my potion and my partner and returning to my work.

The rest of the class suddenly seemed to gain control of their gaping mouths and they went back to work, not making a single comment on what just happened. Though, I knew it would be all over the school when we left this room.

The rest of the class passed quickly and uneventfully. Draco and I finished first, only to be dismissed when we set it down in front of Snape.

Leaving the room together, I headed towards the library while Draco went to his own class, leaving me with a soft kiss and saying he would see me at lunch.

I ended up staying in the library the entire time before lunch and had just finished one of the books I had picked up when it was time to go. Walking into the Great Hall with my head held high, I took my seat by Draco.

Lunch was uneventful, and I went back to the library for my free period. I was starting to hate not having more classes this term; sitting in the library reading all the time was cool and all, but not as much as I had been doing.

Divination came and went with Trelawney saying stupid shit that I paid no attention to. If I had I was sure I would get detention for making yet another smart ass remark.

Finally, dinner had come and gone and it was time for me to head back to Dumbledore's office to see Mr. Malfoy again.

Oh, joy.

Getting up to the Headmaster's office just before the designated meeting time, Draco and I sat down across from Mr. Malfoy, noting that Professor Snape was present again. As I looked more closely at the Malfoy patriarch, I could see where Draco got his looks from.

Malfoy Sr. had shoulder length platinum hair that was so obviously natural it would make half the girls in America cry. His eyes were the color of the sky when it was about to rain outside, high cheekbones with a long nose and thin lips. All in all, I summed up two things; one, the saying like father like son damn sure made itself known here and two, he was damn good looking. The only problem was the arrogance that seemed to emanate from the man, like he knew all too well just how attractive he was.

His voice brought me out of my scrutinizing. "Now, Ms. Swan I'm going to need a pensieve memory of the events of last night. This is the only way to ensure that you aren't lying about what took place." At the nod of my head I pushed the memory of Bulstrode's fat face and her smug expression as she showed the entire school my first ever whipping to the forefront of my mind.

The pulling feeling that accompanied the extraction of a memory wasn't really uncomfortable in any sense other than that I knew someone was trying to take something from my mind, a thought which I instantly wanted to reject. But I let Professor Snape pull the silvery strand from my head and drop it softly into Dumbledore's pensieve.

Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape immersed themselves into the memory, presumable so Snape could tell if it was faked or not.

"Oh, Ms. Swan, I will need you to stay behind for a moment. There is something that we need to discuss." Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes twinkling madly. I just nodded, not really sure what he could want to talk about, and not sure I liked that twinkle.

Soon, the two men emerged from the pensieve and the Professor gave his assurance that it hadn't been tampered with. Mr. Malfoy looked stoic as he informed me that Ms. Bulstrode would not get away with what she had done and I could hear the repressed anger. I wanted to smirk at just how much her plan had backfired, but I contained myself. Barely.

A copy was made of the memory and put into a vial for Mr. Malfoy to take with him to show the Board of Governors and I was given the original back. He took his leave soon after and I told Draco I would see him in the common room in a little while as he followed his father out.

Dumbledore got straight to the heart of what he wanted for once. "What are your plans for Christmas, Ms. Swan?"

I pursed my lips for a moment, thinking. "I had intending on staying here. I'd rather not floo half way across the world for only a few short weeks." I replied, not really sure where he was taking this.

He smiled at me and nodded. "Well, I was informed that Mr. Potter would be going to stay with his godfather for the holidays and that the invitation was extended to you. I think Sirius' words were, 'I want to get better acquainted with the girl that brought me back from the dead'." I rolled my eyes at Sirius' really stupid comment.

I sat for a moment and thought about the offer. I knew Draco wanted to go home for Christmas; he felt as if he didn't see his father enough as it was and he wanted to spend some time with him over the holidays. Without him here, I had no real reason to stay so there wasn't an excuse for me not to go. On the contrary, this was the perfect time for me to get to know Harry and Sirius better, and maybe push information about my mom's school years from the older man. With that thought in mind, I made my decision.

"What do I have to lose?" I shrug as Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again.

"I'll make sure to pass the message along. Now, I believe it's time for an old man to retire for the night. Goodnight, Ms. Swan, Severus."

As Professor Snape and I made our way down to the dungeons, there was an unspoken tension in the air, something that confused me slightly.

Until we came up to the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

Snape stopped me before I could go into the room. He rested his hand gently on my shoulder and reached his other hand to the barely visible silver chain around my neck. He hand shook ever so slightly as he pulled the snake necklace that he had given to my mother out of my shirt, fingering the pendent that were meant to be the initials of his name.

"Your mother had said that this was the best present she could have gotten from me, because it meant so much to me, having been given to me by my own mother just before she died. But I think she was mistaken." His voice was gentle as he reached up to stroke a potion stained thumb across my cheek.

"I think the best thing she could have gotten from me was you, Bella. She would be very proud of you. Just as I am." There was an apology in his voice, one I'm sure I would never hear admitted out loud and a deeply seeded regret even as the pride he spoke of showed in his obsidian eyes.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as I tried to keep my eyes from filling with tears. I knew he would work out that he was my father; I got my mind from him after all. His eyes held the words in them that he wouldn't speak, the love that he didn't know how to express. I didn't care if he ever told me he loved me; I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he did. He wouldn't have bothered talking to me tonight if he didn't.

He cleared his throat gently and stood to his full height, his hands removing themselves from my person; I found myself missing the warmth. He nodded his head at me and I nodded back, silently agreeing that this wouldn't be spoken of again.

That night, was the first night in a long time that I had someone to protect me from the nightmares.

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**So? What do you think? Let me know. I know that Snape finding out about his fatherhood was rather anticlimatic, but I figured they're Slytherin for a reason. Sometimes they need a break from the drama. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey Guys. I know it has been a long time, but these last few weeks have been hell what with school starting back up and all. Moving up a grade means that things get harder. :/ lol. Anyway, here it is. This is really a filler, but it is something I wanted to happen and I had to put it in before I went on so that I could continue the plot I wanted this story to follow.**

**I own nothing. :(**

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I sat hugging my knees to my chest on one of the window sills in the Astronomy Tower, long after Harry had left from one of our nightly talks. He really was becoming my little brother in all ways but blood, and I made sure to keep people from saying anything about him as much as I could. I knew how much he hated the attention.

I hadn't had much time in the last months to think about my friends at home, but now they were all I could think about sometimes, what with Christmas approaching. I had really begun thinking about actually going home for those two weeks we got off; but then how could I spend time with Harry and Sirius?

Maybe they would come to his house, at Sirius' approval of course; but what about Carlisle and Esme? Ah, fuck. How did I get to the point where I had to choose between people I cared about? It sure as hell wasn't supposed to happen this way, at least not in my mind.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and turned my head enough to see who was coming without letting them know I was looking. I sighed softly when I realized it was only Draco.

"Hey." He said softly, walking over to my window and sitting down next to my drawn up legs.

"Hi." I replied, turning to look at him instead of out the window.

"It's way after curfew, you know." He said.

I blinked, startled, and looked down at my watch realizing that it was indeed almost midnight.

"Huh. I hadn't even realized."

"Yes, I gathered that. When you didn't show up, I figured I'd come look for you. Wouldn't want you to be caught by Filch."

I smirked as I thought of the ugly hunched over man with a strange love for his cat. He sure did get enjoyment out of tormenting kids.

"Bella, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." He said softly, keeping his eyes on mine for a moment before dropping them.

My mind instantly jumped to the worst possibilities while my heart jumped into my throat. I said nothing, just nodded my head, even though he couldn't see it with his eyes downcast.

He must have realized where my thoughts were because he looked up and said, "It's nothing like that. It's not bad, well, depending on how you want to take it."

I looked into his beautiful eyes and saw that it wasn't over; he really did have something to talk to me about. I relaxed a little bit at that thought.

"Okay," I said just as softly. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath and looked out the window, turning his body to rest on the wall opposite me, mirroring my position.

"You had the courage to show us your ugly past that night a few weeks ago, and I think it's time I told you of mine." He said, his voice small, like he was afraid I would reject him; like I had been weeks ago.

"When I was five, my mum was helping me bathe, like always, while father was out of town for a few days on business. Everything started out alright, things went as they normally did. But this time, it changed.

"When she had reached my… privates, for lack of a less vulgar term, she didn't let go. She started to stroke me, telling me that I was becoming a man and I had to start acting like it. She said that this was how mums loved their little men.

"I started crying, begging her to stop, threatening to tell daddy, but nothing worked. She said that she would," He swallowed heavily before continuing. "Cut it off if I were to tell anyone what we did together."

I couldn't stop my eyes from narrowing in icy fury if I had wanted to. His own mother had touched him? At least Charlie wasn't my dad, but blood relations?

"She got me off that night, and she warned me again not to tell anyone. So I didn't. And it continued like that until I was nine. Helping me bathe and making me have dry orgasms while I cried.

"A few weeks after my ninth birthday, she told me to get out of the tub, dry off and meet her in my bedroom. By that time, I hated her. I hated what she did to me, and I wished it would stop; I prayed every night to whatever deity that would listen to make it stop.

"When I went in to the room, she was lying on my bed with her legs spread, touching herself. I remember my eyes widening and trying to run from the room, but she silently locked the door and told me to get on the bed."

He had tears streaming down his pale cheeks by this point, remembering what she did to him. I wanted to reach over and grab his hand but I didn't know if he would accept it. He took a deep breath before continuing in a whisper.

"She made me… use my mouth on her before I was forced onto my back. She got me erect and she… Well, I'm sure you can imagine what she did.

"It happened that way until I started Hogwarts when I was eleven. I dreaded going home for the summer because she would always expect me to pick up where she left off like I wasn't getting older. She told me she loved me, that she wanted us to be together and I don't think that I had ever been more sickened then I was in that moment. I was fourteen.

"That's when I finally told father about it. He has been so angry that he forced her in to a room on the opposite side of the manor and me into his wing. He couldn't divorce her because there were no loopholes in their marriage contract, but he made sure he didn't leave me alone in the house with her again.

"That was the first time I had ever seen my father cry. He had been so upset that he hadn't realized something was wrong with me, that I was afraid when I would ask him not to go away. From then on, he tried to stay home or bring me with him.

"These past two years have been hard on me. I've been with other people, mostly boys in Slytherin. You, Bella, are the first girl I've been with, ever. I didn't know if I would be able to do it, be with a woman, but you're different. You're… you."

He stopped and looked up at me, clearly saying he didn't know how else to describe me. I didn't need him to. I knew what he meant from experience. I had felt the same way when I had found myself attracted to him.

I reached out to gently cup his cheek and whispered, "I'll be here for as long you want me here."

He smiled slightly and held my hand against his cheek before sighing and letting his eyes flutter closed.

I vowed in that moment, that if I were to ever meet his mother, I would kill her. I wanted to rip her throat out, to cut her into tiny pieces, to bathe in her blood. It all sounded so appetizing that I had to restrain a shudder of desire to see her blood. I guess it just showed I was a bit more sadistic then I thought when it came to the people I cared about.

His eyes opened after a few moments, locking with mine. Keeping a hold of my hand, he pulled me forward into a sweet kiss, letting it linger for awhile.

Standing up, he pulled me to my feet as my knees popped from being bent for so long. As he looked at me, I knew our relationship had changed, had become… deeper somehow. A trust had been formed that night; something fragile, something that could be broken easily, but a trust nonetheless.

With a gentle smile on my face, we left the tower, heading towards the Slytherin common room without being intercepted by a human-like cat, her owner or crazy ghosts.

We didn't immediately go to our dorms, instead curling up in front of the dwindling fire, my head on his shoulder and his lips in my hair. I could occasionally hear him inhale deeply and feel him smile.

It was moments like this that I had to wonder what my mom would think. Would she be okay with my relationship? Would she like Draco?

And what about Professor Snape? What would he have to say about this? Because in all honesty, I had no intention of ever letting go of such a wonderful person as Draco, no matter what anyone said, but it would be nice to have my father's approval.

Instead of letting my mind dwell, though, I burrowed into his chest, pressing my lips into the skin where his heart would reside underneath.

I knew I was falling in love with Draco Malfoy. And that prospect was no longer as scary as it used to be.

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**Well? Whatcha thinkin'? Let me know! :D**

**love, **

**Kitkat**


	13. Chapter 13

**Whoa! Two chapters in one night! My muse is on a roll. :) Hope you like it. It should explain some more. ;) **

**I own Nothing. :(**

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I looked down at the key resting innocently in my hand, wondering how I had forgotten I'd had it.

I had been rummaging through my trunk when I had come across the key dangling from the chain it was on. My mom had given it to me when I was eight, telling me to keep it safe, and that one day it would explain everything. I hadn't understood what she'd meant, but I had taken her word for it.

Now, as I walked with the Headmaster down Diagon Alley towards Gringotts, I knew I would finally understand what she was talking about that day.

We had walked in silence for most of the way from The Leaky Cauldron so it startled me a bit when he spoke.

"Bella, I have something I wanted to ask you." He started, looking at me without his usual twinkling eyes.

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about the war that is going on?" He asked softly, just loud enough for me to hear.

Yes, I did know about the war. I had finally learned this supposed 'Dark Lord' called himself Voldemort, but he had once been Tom Marvolo Riddle. My opinion of him had yet to change; in fact, it had only solidified more in my mind.

"I know all that Harry knows." I replied, knowing what he knew was different to what everyone else might. It pissed me off that they kept things from him that was essential for him to know if he intended to kill off the sick bastard.

I heard Dumbledore sigh before going on, "Yes, well. I wanted to ask you if you would mind training Harry in hand-to-hand combat as well as wandless and voiceless magic," He held up a hand before I could say anything. "I know that these skills take awhile to master, but I believe Harry can succeed with a teacher as good as you are."

I scrutinized his face, searching for any motives other than to help Harry. Finding none, I turned away and thought on the request itself.

While I knew logically that Harry did need to learn these things, it also made me mad that here Dumbledore was again, making Harry's decisions for him. Maybe Harry didn't want to learn that, although I knew from talking to my younger brother that he wanted to learn how to fight, how to defend those he loved.

I pursed my lips and looked back at the Headmaster, "I'll do it, only if _Harry_ tells _me _that he wants to learn them. I won't let you choose for him, nor will I believe you if you tell me he said he wanted to learn. Is that clear?" I asked him. He would agree to my conditions or he would find himself another teacher.

After a few moments of silence the Headmaster nodded his assent.

A few minutes later we reached our destination and I travelled up to the large podium where a goblin stood, writing God knows what.

I waited patiently for him to finish whatever he was working on. After a few minutes, he put down his quill and looked at me.

"Yes?" He said, his voice sneering.

"My name is Isabella Marie Dwyer." I replied, using my mother's name. I highly doubted they would know the name Swan, and I wanted to change my last name to that soon, anyway; might as well get used to it.

He looked stunned for a moment before saying, "I'll need blood evidence of that, of course."

I nodded my head in assent and watched as he walked down from the podium, the top of his head reaching a little over my knees when he stood on the ground.

He led me into a small room after walking down a long corridor. Taking a seat, he pulled out a piece of paper and a sharp looking needle.

"Prick your finger and bleed onto the parchment." He commanded.

I complied with his order, ignoring the rude tone of voice. I'd already been informed that goblins didn't particularly like wizards and witches… or any others besides other goblins.

I watched as a red mist lifted from the paper and two names appeared:

_Severus Tobias Snape  
Renee Isabel Dwyer_

Well, now I knew where my first name came from. The goblin took the sheet of paper away and called for another goblin.

A short wrinkled creature with pointy ears came into the room carrying a briefcase, waddling over to my chair.

"Ms. Dwyer, I presume?" At my nod he continued. "I am Nagnok. It's been quite awhile since I have had the opportunity to bank for someone of the Dwyer family."

I stayed silent as Nagnok took a seat where the other goblin used to sit; someone that I had just noticed was missing, much to my astonishment. The sneaky little bastards.

He pulled out a few papers from the briefcase, handing me an envelope with my name on it.

"I was given this many years ago and was told to give it to the next Dwyer that come into this bank. You can read it now, or you can do it later, whatever way you prefer." He said.

"I'll read it later. I had something else that I came here for." I replied.

He nodded his head, looking up from the papers he had been shuffling.

I pulled the key to what I assumed was a Dwyer vault and said, "I need to know where this key will lead me."

He took the key from me, looked at the number, and led me out the door to a small railroad with a cart. He gestured for me to get in first and once we were both seated, it took off.

After a long winding ride, we arrived at a large iron door. As Nagnok pushed the key into the lock, I stepped out of the cart and waited as the door opened.

Inside was something that was damn amazing. Piles and piles of gold coins sat around the room; jewels of all kinds resided on huge shelves to my right; to my left, books overflowed from their shelves. It looked as though someone had taken things from other vaults and moved them all into one.

I walked in the door, completely awed at what I saw. It was like I couldn't get my eyes to go back to their regular size.

Tripping, I looked down and saw a small bag with an embroidered name on it. Looking closer, I realized it was my name. This scared me a bit. How did my mom know I would be here? How did she know I would ever come here?

Shaking my head, I grabbed the bag and opened it. Inside was a folded slip of paper in familiar handwriting.

_Bella,_

_This has a bottomless charm on it. Take anything you want, but make sure to grab the things with names on them. They are Christmas gifts._

How had she known who I would need gifts for?

Slipping the paper into the back pocket of my jeans, ignoring my stinging eyes, I filled the bag with a quite a few handfuls of the coins around me. I didn't know when I'd be back, and I would definitely need Draco's help in discerning just how much money I had in this bag.

Next, I went looking for names.

I found Sirius Black and Lucius Malfoy on a shelf of jewels. Remus Lupin was found on a book shelf. Severus Snape was found on the top of a chest in the corner of the room, along with another thing with my name on it; and Albus Dumbledore on a pile of coins toward the back of the room.

By the time my treasure hunt was done, I was exhausted and Nagnok was sighing for the umpteenth time with impatience.

Crawling back in to the cart, we rode back up to the main floor.

"Is there anything else that needed to be handled?" I asked softly.

"I was wondering, Ms. Swan, if you'd like to legally change your name while you're here?" Nagnok asked me, with a sort of grimacing smile.

I smirked slightly and said, "Why yes, yes I would."

An hour later, I was officially Isabella Marie Dwyer and lying in my bed at Hogwarts.

I had had some shopping to do in Diagon Alley, so I had asked Dumbledore to help me exchange the right amount of money, though I wasn't happy about asking for help.

I had bought Harry, Ron, and Hermione a gift as well as Blaise, Pansy, and Theo. I really couldn't stand Crabbe and Goyle so I left them out of my spending spree. I neglected to buy anything for the other back home because we never really exchanged gifts. We bought things for each other at opportune times, not on specific holidays.

Looking at the letter that Nagnok had given me, I pondered on whether or not I wanted to know what it said. Later that night, I would be sent with Harry through the Headmaster's floo to Sirius' house and I knew that whatever I read would seriously deplete my mood. I could feel it in my very bones.

Sighing a long suffering sigh, I broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter.

_My dearest Bell, _

_I know when you are finished with this letter, you aren't going to believe this; but you need to know that I love you, and that what I've done, what I've let happen, was for the best._

_Since I was a little girl, I have had visions; of the past, the present, and the future. It wasn't until I started at Hogwarts that I told anyone of these visions and found out that I was Seer._

_Now, when I was in Hogwarts, I told no one other than Remus Lupin, the man who helped me discover my abilities, of my situation and nothing of many of the things I saw. _

_It wasn't until after I started seeing your father, Severus, in my fifth year that I started to See you. I Saw myself have you, Saw you grow up without your biological father, Saw you in pain._

_I tried to stop it. I didn't want you to grow up without Severus, and I thought that maybe if I could change that, then everything would alter for the better. I tried like hell to keep him in my life, but it seemed that it only made it worse and it drove him away from me. When I told him of you when I was pregnant and he told me that he didn't want you, I Saw all three of us dying due to torture at the hands of Voldemort if I tried to convince him, if I stayed._

_I knew he didn't mean it. I could see it in his eyes. But it was the last straw. No matter what I did or said, he said that he wanted nothing to do with a child during a war. _

_It was then that I realized that I couldn't change the future, no matter how desperately I wanted to. No, the future isn't set in stone, but if something is meant to happen, it will, no matter what. If you cheat Fate, you end up in much worse pain._

_Now, as I sit here writing this letter, I know what will happen when I leave England for Texas in America. I know what he will do to me. And I know what he will do you. _

_I know right now, you're probably angry. But like I said, I can't change the future. I have Seen what would happen if I tried and it is a much worse outcome then the one you have to go through. _

_My precious daughter, please don't hate me. I promise you, all of the pain you've suffered through will all be worth it in the end. You have learned life skills that you will need soon. _

_Be prepared, my love. An evil is coming; an evil so great that it will try to take from you what you love the most. Don't believe everything as it seems without digging deeper, looking further into things than most. _

_Bella, you are such a beautiful young woman, with a strong head on your shoulders and an even stronger heart. You have seen and done things that most wouldn't be able to bounce back from. But I know that you will have your happy ending. You will have all that you want. _

_I have to go now, Bell. You promised me that you would always stay strong and never give up. Don't break it now, even after what I've done. _

_Trust me when I say that it hasn't been easy to live with the knowledge that my baby will be raped and tortured, emotionally, mentally, and physically by a man she thought of as a father figure. _

_Be the woman I know you can be. I'm so proud of you. _

_And yes, Draco is an excellent choice_

_I'll always love you, Bella. Never forget that. _

_Love always,_

_Renee Isabel Dwyer._

I was shaking violently and tears were pouring down my face as I sobbed loudly at the betrayal coursing through me.

On a logical level, I understood. I knew that what she said was right. But emotionally, I was a wreck and I didn't think I could handle the knowledge that my mom had known I would beaten and raped and sodomized for _five long years _and she let it happen.

I shoved the letter away and curled into a ball on my bed and cried for a long time. I hadn't been like this since I lost my baby but at that moment, it felt like I lost something else; lost the only shred of sanity that I had left.

A few hours later, I got up and packed away the rest of my things. I felt detached as I shrunk my trunk and put it in my pocket, closing my curtains and walking out of the Slytherin common room towards the Headmaster's office.

I didn't know what to do. And it drove me crazy.

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**Hey... So whatcha think? :) Tell me, tell me, tell me. **

**love, **

**Kitkat**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so, so sorry. I know I'm a horrible person for making you all wait so long, it's why I am planning to update again in a few hours. I just hope that this is enough for you guys for now. **

**It took me so long because I was having a hard time writing the emotions from the last chapter again. I really hope this is good. :)**

**I own nothing and all mistakes are my own.**

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I met Dumbledore at the gargoyle in front on his office and walked with him out of the school and down towards Hogsmeade and the end of the wards.

I felt like a zombie as I walked next to him. I knew I was walking, knew where I was going and why, but I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't bring myself to care who I was going to see or care to see them at all. It was slightly terrifying. I was really regretting reading the letter now.

It had been hours since I had found out that my mom had known how my life would turn out and I was still having a hard time believing it. I felt like I was dying inside, not knowing what to do or think, not knowing how to act to what I had learned. How did one react to the discovery that their mom was a Seer and had seen their kid's life go down the toilet years before it happened, and never warned them about it?

Before long, we had reached the wards and Dumbledore held out his arm for me to take, waiting until I had a firm grip before he concentrated his magic and apparated us to a street in muggle London.

I watched devoid of all emotion as he made #12 appear, moving the two other houses to the side as this one grew between them.

Once the buildings had stopped moving, he walked up to the front door and it flew open as we hit the steps.

"Bella!" Harry exclaimed, rushing forward to hug me. His arms wrapped around my neck, seeing as how I was still taller than him, and I found myself returning the hug, squeezing his midsection tightly as he laughed gently.

As much as I didn't want to be around people at the moment, with everything I was dealing with, I would push it all away just to see my little brother sound so happy. It made my day a little bit better.

Pulling back, he smiled into my eyes, "Come on, the others aren't here yet, so we have Sirius to ourselves."

He gripped my hand and pulled my into the house, making me smile at his excitement. It was like he had digressed back to being a kid again, for the time being anyway. It was amusing to watch, really.

Harry dragged me down a long, dreary hallway that led to a door. Said door was pushed open to reveal a dining room with a large table and another door that showed the kitchen. Sirius' head popped around the door frame, his smile growing wider as he saw who Harry was pulling behind him.

"Bella, welcome." His voice was warm as he too walked towards me and wrapped me in a gentle hug.

I was more hesitant to return this hug. I had gotten better with physical contact since Draco and I had gotten together, but I still tensed at times.

I forced myself to remember that he was family and he wouldn't hurt me, wrapping my arms around his waist and letting my head rest on his shoulder for a moment before releasing my hold and stepping back and out of the circle of his arms.

Sirius seemed to notice my discomfort and cocked his head to the side slightly, but for once his brain to mouth filter was working because he kept his mouth shut.

Smiling again, he looked over my head to see Dumbledore and nodded at him. I didn't see Dumbledore's replying nod but he must have as Sirius then turned to Harry.

"Why don't you show Bella where she'll be sleeping so she can get settled in?" Harry smiled and nodded his head, looking at me before walking from the room with me on his tail.

As soon as we walked out the door, he made a sharp right up the stairs and said, "You'll be on the second floor in the room next to mine. I hope you don't mind sharing with Hermione? This place has a lot of space, but most of the rooms are dusty and filled with things that aren't fit to be sleeping with." His face stretched into a grimace as he said this and I couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"I don't think there is anything here that I haven't seen worse then. But no, I don't mind sharing. I find it fun to make her blush, anyway." He looked back at me, raising a questioning eyebrow but I just smiled innocently at him.

"I don't want to know." He says, making me laugh softly as I trail after him. This was why I loved Harry. He could always make me forget my problems and laugh even when I didn't think I could.

I followed him down the hall on the second floor to the second door on the right of the hall. He opened the door and motioned for me to enter.

The room was plain with two twin sized beds, two tall dressers and a nightstand between the beds. There were two doors; one I presumed led to the closet and another to the bathroom.

"You and Hermione will have to share the bathroom with Ron and me." I looked over at as he said that, coming to the conclusion that they hadn't told anyone about them. I doubted they'd be able to share a room if they had.

Seeming to realize my train of thought, Harry blushed, "I've told Sirius, and he said that we wouldn't change the rooms around unless we…" He stopped and swallowed slightly.

"…You what?" I said, prompting him to continue.

He blushed even deeper and mumbled, "Unless we got too loud."

I smirked at him and said, "That won't be necessary."

He looked up, confused, as I turned toward the bathroom door. My wand slipped out of my sleeve as I pointed it at the door. The door in front of me opened and I shot a silencing spell at their door. I then walked through the bathroom and into their room, doing it again to their main door and walls.

"Now you can be as loud as you want." I smirked again as he stuttered, blushing madly. It was so freaking cute how much of a virgin he was even though I was sure that he and Ron had gotten pretty far, if not all the way.

Harry soon forcibly composed himself and looked up at me. "So, wanna tell me what was wrong earlier?"

I blink, shocked that he had noticed I was upset, but then remembered that he and I had spent a lot of time together, talking and learning about one another. It shouldn't surprise me that he knew me so well.

During our talks, I had given him a less graphic version of what my life had been like after my mom's death, as well as how she really died. By less graphic I mean, I left nothing out, but he didn't see it like Draco did. I didn't want to give Harry nightmares.

At least the men who did see it were used to that kind of torture and violence.

I sat myself down on one of the beds in the room, and patted the spot beside me. If I could tell anyone about this without crying, it would be him.

I proceeded to tell him all that had happened that afternoon, from Gringotts on. He stayed quiet as I spoke, his hand gently holding mine, giving me strength in a way no one else could.

As I finished, I looked up at him and said, "I don't know what to do, Harry. Please help me."

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his thin chest. "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry you had to learn about it that way, but you do know that she wouldn't let it happen if there wasn't a reason, right?"

I nodded against him as the threatening tears finally spilled over. If he felt the wet patch growing on his shirt, he, blessedly, said nothing about it.

"Bella, listen to me, ok?" He waited for my nod before going on. "You are the strongest person I know, and even though you didn't deserve what happened to you, you came out a better person because of it. I mean, look at what you've done for me? For everything that's happened to you, you should be bitter and untrusting and never help anyone because no one helped you, but you're not. You are an amazing woman and you would've been an even better mother."

He stopped as I lifted my head and looked into his deep, emerald eyes, seeing that he truly believed everything he was saying.

Holding my gaze, he cupped my cheek and whispered, "After everything, don't let this break you. Except that it happened and that it can't be changed and move on. I know the pain won't just vanish, but you have so many people to help you through it. You can do this, Bella. You can move on from this eventually, and be stronger because of it. Your mum only did what she did because she couldn't stop it, remember? It must mean that the outcome is worth it."

I blinked at him and wondered how our positions had flipped so drastically. I was usually the strong one, holding him together, but now, he was there when I needed him and for that, I would be forever grateful to the man that was my little brother in all but blood, which I hoped would change soon, if he acepted my proposal in the net few days.

I gave him a small smile in return, hoping to show him the gratitude I felt. He seemed to get it, because he smiled gently back at me before leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

I sighed and moved out of his hold, roughly scrubbing my cheeks. He laughed at my attempts to hide my tears, standing up and walking back through the bathroom as I followed him.

He left the room, leaving me to unpack my things in peace, saying he'd be back in a while to collect me for dinner.

I spent the next hour putting my things in the dresser closest to my bed, placing my mom's picture under my pillow.

The door opened, and I turned around, expecting Harry, but instead, saw Hermione standing there looking at me. She blushed as I smiled at her.

"Hey. I heard we were going to be roommates for the break." I said, breaking the awkward silence that had stretched over us. I wasn't awkward in the least, but I could tell she was. It was really cute, actually.

She moved into the room over to the other bed and set her things down. "Yeah, I hope that's okay with you." She said her voice soft.

I smirked at her inability to hide how uncomfortable she was. "I'm good with it."

Just then, Harry called up the stairs that dinner was ready so I made my way to the door.

I turned back around as an afterthought, though. "Hey, Hermione?"

She looked up, "Yeah?"

I smirked at her, "Relax, would you? I know you're into women, and I know who you like. I just like making you blush. You have nothing to worry about."

At her shocked face, I said, "Oh, and no, I won't say a word to anyone." I turned back and continued down the hall, back to the stairs.

Prior to what I thought before, this visit was beginning to look up.

Walking down the stairs, I stepped into the dining room and heard the tail end of a conversation between Dumbledore and a plump, red haired woman. Sirius stood next to Harry and from the look on Harry's face, he wasn't happy with what was being said.

"Harry needs to learn how to fight, Molly. How else will he defeat Voldemort?" Dumbledore said, his tone patient.

"He is just a boy, Albus! He doesn't need to learn to fight just yet."

They were standing right in front of Harry, talking about him like he wasn't there and couldn't decide for himself. And to make it worse, I knew Dumbledore was talking about teaching Harry what we had talked about earlier; I could feel it in my gut.

Oh, hell no. I had heard enough.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?"

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**Well, what did you think? Review and let me know. :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	15. Chapter 15

**I told you I waould have another chapter up today. :) I hope this one definitely makes up for the long wait. It was SO MUCH FUN to write. **

**Well on you go. **

**I own nothing & all mistakes are my own. **

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This Molly woman was the first to look at me. Her eyes roved over my body as she inspected me.

Dumbledore, though, was the first to speak. "Bella, I believe it is time you spoke with Harry about our conversation earlier."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'll talk to Harry about that when I fucking feel like it. What the hell gives you the right to tell me when I should do something or what Harry should do, for that matter?"

I couldn't keep the anger and disgust out of my voice as I spoke to him. I couldn't believe he would sit there and call me out on something I wanted to talk to Harry about in private, probably with just Sirius there. It wasn't anyone else's business but ours anyway.

"Don't speak to Albus that way, young lady! Show your elders some respect." Molly said her loud voice grating on my nerves.

I turned to look at her, "I show respect to those who deserve it, not to people who get off on running others' lives. Don't fucking talk to me like I'm one of your kids, because I'm not."

I ignored her gaping face and turned my attention to Harry, "I was going to bring this up later, but seeing as how these idiots are determined to keep you out of shit and discuss your life like you aren't here, I'm gonna fix that here and now."

I take Harry's hand and bring him to the table, sitting down across from him and looking into his eyes. By now, Molly has regained herself and has started bitching at Dumbledore again about how he should keep me out of this.

"Harry, earlier today, Dumbledore asked me if I could train you in wandless and wordless magic, as well as physical combat. I told him that I would need to hear you tell me that's what you wanted before I agreed."

Harry looked offended at first, but his eyes seemed to tear up a bit when I told him I wanted his say so first. I felt a fury as hot as the fucking sun boil in belly at the thought that these people were planning his life for him and he was almost in tears at the first sign of someone asking him what he wanted. It was disgusting, and it would stop here.

I reached out to take his hand, "Harry, even though I have a feeling you won't turn me down, I want you to forget what these people," I made a gesture back at Dumbledore and Molly, who had stopped talking to listen. "Say. If you don't want to do this, you have every right to refuse and the subject will be dropped.

If you do accept, I want you to promise me," I paused, squeezed his hand for affect before speaking again. "Promise me that you are doing this because you want to, not because you feel like it's an obligation. Okay?"

He looks me in the eye and smiles sadly at me, because he can see how angry I am. These people had hurt my little brother, whether they realized they were doing it or not. No one, and I mean no one, hurts Harry. Ever.

Harry's eyes took on a faraway look as he thinks over what I've just said. I waited patiently, giving him the time he needs to truly contemplate his decision.

It took about five minutes for Harry to come back to himself. He looks into my eyes again, and I see the determination there, and I know that that is his determination. Not Dumbledore's, not the Order's; No, this is what he wants and I'm happy with that.

"Alright, then. We'll start tomorrow." I said, smiling at him, glad when he returns it.

"No! Harry, you are too young to fight, you're just a child. I won't allow you to do this." Molly said desperately.

Sirius chooses this moment to step in, sounding like this is a conversation they have had before, "Excuse me, Molly, but I do believe Harry is my Godson. You have no say in how he lives his life."

"Oh, please! And where have you been the past 6 years? Who has been the one taking care of him, sending him extra food at the Dursley's when he was hungry? Where were you when he needed you the most, hm?" Molly's shrill like voice tore through the air, leaving a tense silence in its wake.

The look on Sirius' face is what sent me over the edge. It was an expression of self-loathing, guilt, and sadness all wrapped in one.

A smack of flash hitting flesh broke the silence as I let my arm fall back to my side, my hand throbbing in pain. I had hit her pretty hard if the blooming red hand print on her face was anything to go by.

I kept my voice at a deadly quiet tone as I spoke, "How _dare_ you? How dare you come into this man's home and then proceed to insult him for something he had no fucking way to control!

"You wanna know where he was all that time, darlin'? I'll tell you. He was locked up in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He was on the run from the Aurors and Dementors because nobody would listen when he and Harry said he was innocent! He was stuck here, locked away, yet again, because he had no _other. Fucking. Choice!_

"So _don't_ you fucking sit there and tell Sirius you have control over Harry because he couldn't be there for him. At least he has an excuse. You're a control freak that can't take the decisions not lying with you, and you really have no right shoving your fucking nose into these men's business!"

I moved closer to the woman who was standing tall, but with fear in her eyes, and said to her, "If I ever, and I mean _ever_, hear of you saying _anything_ like that to Sirius again, I will slit your throat. Are we clear?"

My eyes narrowed as she nodded her head once. "And you are going to leave Harry's life to him and not try to interfere in something that isn't your business."

Again, she nodded once.

I stepped back and turned to look into Dumbledore's face, "That last part goes for you too, got it? No more of this, 'It's for the greater good' _bullshit."_

Dumbledore nods his head as well, seeing just how serious I was about all of this. Sirius and Harry were my family, just like Severus was. I would live and die protecting them.

I breathed out heavily, anger still thrumming through my veins, and glanced at the door… only to see a cluster of red heads standing there with Hermione.

I had to wonder if they had been there long enough to have seen me bitch slap their mother.

Then again, I really didn't care.

Some of them, the twins of the group, were looking at me like I was some science project; Ron was staring at Harry, his eyes filled with concern at the sight of his lover. Hermione's eyes were on me too, her cheeks flushed and pupils dilated.

Was she turned on by that? Oh, that girl needed to get laid. I'd have to talk to Pansy about helping her with that.

"Howdy, y'all. I'm Bella. Pleasure meeting ya." I drawled at them, meeting the eyes of one of the red heads who had long hair pulled back into a pony tail and earrings with fangs on them.

He smirked back at, stepping forward, "Bill. Pleasure's all mine." He said seductively as he grabbed my hand, leaned over and kissing the back of it.

It showed how far I had come when I didn't freak out that he was touching me.

Instead, I smirked back at him and said, "Sorry, honey, but I'm spoken for. And from the looks of the pretty blonde woman behind you, so are you."

He looked behind him at the woman standing there, her eyes fiery, and pulled away from me.

I tuned out, smirking, as he began to apologize to the woman as I turned my gaze back to Sirius and Harry.

I knew from our conversations that Harry really did love Molly and was grateful to her for her care, so I was rightfully worried that he would be upset with me.

I was proven wrong, however, when he caught my eyes and smiled thankfully at me. I was confused, but I wouldn't bring it up here. We'd talk about it later.

Looking at Sirius, I saw the same expression on his face, but it was mixed with something else.

I heard another shrill voice fill the room, "How dare you!"

I guess they had seen me.

I turned around again, getting fed up with this whole fucking family. Could I not go one day without having to deal with drama?

I raised a condescending eyebrow at the only red head girl in the room besides Molly, who was still in shock from the slap and my words. "And you are?"

Instead of answering my question, she went on. "How dare you touch my mother! You have no idea what she's done for Harry while Sirius wasn't there! She has every right to be a part of Harry's life, including telling him what to do!"

I guess that heard what was said, too.

Her nostrils were flared, face as red as her hair as she screamed into my face. And oh God, I was going to punch her.

The red head from earlier, Bill, must have seen this because he stepped up and grabbed his sister, pulling her back.

"Ginny, Mum always takes it over board. I'm not saying it was right for Bella to slap her," He glanced up at me as he said it, the look in his eyes congratulating me even as he lied to his sister's face. "But Bella was just protecting Sirius and Harry."

"How do you know that? You don't even know her!" The girl, Ginny, yelled into his face, before turning her hate filled glare at me. I wanted to laugh out loud at how pitiful it was.

"You're right, I don't. But if you took a second to think about what she said, you would come to the same conclusion I did: that she only wants to keep them safe." He replied patiently.

It was amazing how one little argument had grown into this, all in a matter of about five minutes. It really had felt like longer…

As Ginny opened her mouth to speak again, I cut her off, "Okay, I get it; you're pissed because I smacked your mom, but guess what? You're the only one who gives a fuck, so drop it. I'm sick of hearing your voice." I said, my voice filled with annoyed impatience.

She inhaled again to say something else, but I waved my hand and whatever was about to come out of her mouth, didn't. Her mouth opened in outrage, realizing she had just been subjected to a silencing charm.

Her brothers didn't object. They actually looked pretty amused by the whole thing.

I just smirked.

"Hm, I wonder what she has done to warrant that expression." Said a familiar voice. It was like velvet over dark chocolate.

I looked at the kitchen door to see my dad standing there looking amused at the image before him.

We shared an amused smile as I looked directly into his eyes.

"Care to see?" I asked, offering him entrance into my mind.

Being a Slytherin, he took advantage of the opportunity and watched what had just transpired. I figured what the hell. Let's add another Slytherin into the mix of Gryffindor bullshit that was brewing in front of me.

I didn't really want to deal with this alone anymore, either.

As the memory finished, he pulled out of my mind and chuckled.

"You really like to cause problems, don't you Bella?"

"Hey, I didn't start this one. I just finished it." I replied, laughing as well.

He made a soft humming noise in the back of his throat, "Be that as it may, as an answer to your question; No, you can't go a day without drama; because you cause it."

I mocked offense at him for a minute, thinking about everything that had happened since I had come here, and silently agreed.

I gave a put upon sigh, "Yeah, I know."

Severus smirked at me again.

After that, Dumbledore left, claiming to have business at the Ministry. Molly kept her big mouth shut as she served dinner, which I cast detector spells on to make sure the woman hadn't poisoned me. Ginny sat and pouted because I still hadn't taken the silencing charm off of her.

And besides all that, dinner still wasn't a quiet affair. The red heads talked loudly amongst themselves, Severus and Sirius fought over something stupid; Harry and Ron spoke quietly to each other with Ron gently touching Harry's thigh, and Hermione and I talked about random books we had read.

About halfway through dinner another man showed up, which I soon learned was Remus Lupin. By the way he and Sirius kept staring at each other, I had a feeling there was more to that relationship then they had told anyone.

All in all, dinner was rather enjoyable. I was a little surprised there wasn't more hostility at the table after what had happened earlier, but I wasn't going to complain.

After dinner, the table was cleared and a few of the Weasley children, Bill and Fleur, his wife, Charlie, Ginny with her mom and dad, went home; as did Severus, wanting to work on his potions, no doubt. That left Fred and George, who I still couldn't tell apart, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus; and of course, Harry and I.

We all sat in the living room, fire roaring in the fire place, a few of us nursing different forms of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

We were all discussing what had happened before dinner that night.

"So, Harry, why did you look thankful earlier? I'd just smack and threatened the woman you consider a mother." I asked, everyone listening for a reply.

He smiled softly at me, "Bella, you had just stuck up for Sirius and me. No one has ever had the balls to stand up against Molly; she can be rather intimidating. You showed me tonight that I put my trust in the right person." Harry suddenly got a smirk on his face that rivaled a Slytherin. "Plus, I've always been taught not to hit a woman and you saved me from having to."

I laughed at his remark, wiping at my eyes to keep the tears at bay that he had just invoked; that was what I got for wanting my coffee made Irish.

I looked over at Sirius, "And you? I take it wasn't just because you were thankful I had stuck up for you."

He sighed softly, leaning farther into the couch. "No, I was more thankful that Harry has someone who cares so much about him. It makes me proud to say I am related to such a wonderful young woman."

I smirked sardonically, "I don't know about a wonderful young woman. I might have more of that Black family madness then you know, Sirius. I'm quite sadistic when it comes to protecting those I care about. There are times when, to calm my anger, I'll sit and think about ways I can torture the one I'm angry with." I pause for a moment before saying softly, "Sometimes, it scares me how easily I could kill someone."

My mind went far away as I thought about some of the things I've thought about doing. Like Draco's mom, Narcissa, and the things I'd do to her, given the chance.

I came back to myself when I felt a hand on my knee. I looked up into Harry's eyes and saw concern there.

I smile slightly, "Sorry. Lost it there for a minute." I brought my cup to my lips and drained it.

"Well, I think I'm going to bed. I don't get enough sleep as it is; I don't feel like lessening it that much more." I smiled at them all.

Looking at the twins I said, "It really was good to meet you." After they returned the sentient, I walked from the room, up the stairs, and into mine.

A half hour later, I lay in bed, beginning to doze off as Draco pops into my mind.

Tonight, I don't know if it was the alcohol in my coffee or just that I wanted him there with me, I began to imagine what it would be like to have him sexually. Would it be painful? Would I make him feel good? Because really, even after everything, I had no real experience.

A scenario came to mind as my hand travelled down my body. Draco was lying in bed with me and we were naked. His fingers were skimming my stomach as he leaned over to kiss me, our tongues clashing.

His hand travels lower, like mine is doing in real life, feeling my soft, hairless skin. His fingers find my lips and he parts them gently, exposing me to the open air with his index and ring finger, his middle coming up to touch the little bundle of nerves hidden, or not so hidden anymore, between my lips.

I moan softly at the first touch, having not done this in a few months. I take my hand and slid it farther down my body to my hole, thrusting a finger inside as Draco did the same in my head. What had started gently had become rough and demanding and damn, was it good. Anything with him was good, really.

Fingering myself and pinching my nipple, I imagined his lips wrapping around my nipple, sucking softly, nibbling the skin as I forced myself to stay quiet. His eyes came up to meet mine and he smirked into my skin.

Adding another finger, I began to move them faster as he bit down harder in my mind. He let the nipple fall from his mouth and moved to the other one, giving it the same treatment. My fingers wrapped into his hair, holding him to my chest, arching into his mouth. Oh, God, I wanted him.

So badly, in fact, that, in my mind, just as he was getting on top of me, ready to do what I was silently begging him to do, I came long and hard from just the thought of it happening.

As I lay there panting, the only thought I had was: I was so whipped.

I fell into a deep sleep, completely sated. There were no nightmares that night.

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**So, what did you think? Let me know, please. It feels great getting reviews. :)**

**I hope I did the whole, telling Molly and Ginny off thing justice. I hate the way Molly just expects Harry and everyone to listen to what she says. And Ginny, well, I just really don't like her. Oh well. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey Guys! :D I know it's been forever since I last updated, but I have made a vow this summer that I will finish this story before the summer is out. So, as I upload this, I have 4 other chapters I have already written, and I will be writing one every day and uploading another chapter every 1 to 2 days! :) **

**Can you guys do something for me? I updated a few of my complete stories with a petition for FanFiction to add MA rating, but it was deleted and I was put in 'probation.' Seeing as how the guidelines say author's notes are allowed at the top of a story, I ask that you go and sign this petition. Thanks! **

_www(dot)ipetitions(dot)com/petition/lemons-for-fanfiction/_

**So, as usual, I own nothing and I make no money from this. Oh, and all mistakes are my own. I admit, I wouldn't be the best editor. lol**

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The next morning, the clock struck 4 and I was awake, as per usual. After completing my morning routine, I went silently down the stairs to make coffee.

Sitting at the table shortly after with my cup of steaming coffee in hand, I began to think about, what else, Draco. I wondered what he was doing, if I would see him at all during the next few weeks. I hoped his break was going better than mine had been so far.

Being lost in my thoughts, I didn't know I had been joined by someone else until they pulled a chair out next to me to sit down.

My head flashed to the side and I locked eyes with pools of blue. I relaxed again knowing it was just Sirius.

"Good morning." Sirius said in that smooth deep voice of his.

"Morning." I replied quietly.

"What are you doing up so early, dear? You were in bed awfully late last night." Sirius questioned, his tone light and concerned.

I sighed softly. "I'm always up this early, no matter what. It's definitely a curse."

I saw Sirius nod out of the corner of my eye. "Yes, I believe it would be a bother to be up this early every morning."

"And you? What are you doing up so early?" I asked.

"Nightmares. Those blasted things keep me up at all hours of the night." Sirius responded bitterly. I could only reach out and pat his hand in understanding, having had many a night spent that way.

We sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's quiet company.

Sirius took a long drink from his cup. "I just wanted to let you know that I am behind you 100% of the way in your tutelage of Harry. If you need any help, which I highly doubt, you know where to find me."

I chuckled at his comment before nodding. "I was going to ask Harry to pick someone to supervise. Not that I don't trust my skills, I would just feel better if we had someone there just in case."

We were quiet again before a thought seemed to strike Sirius. "Bella, what do you intend to teach Harry?"

I paused to mull the question over in my mind, wondering if I should tell him all that I intend to teach Harry, but I figured that Harry would probably tell him anyway. I took a drink of my coffee. "I will teach Harry everything he needs to know in a battle with Death Eaters, Sirius. This is a war. This isn't something you can go into half-cocked, expecting to win with a Jelly Legs Jinx.

"By the time I'm done teaching Harry, he'll know how to do wordless and wandless magic, as well as use the magic in his surroundings. He'll know how to defend himself in hand-to-hand combat. And he'll be able to wield Dark Magic better than any Death Eater he goes up against."

Sirius looked appalled at the last part. "Dark Magic, Bella; are you barking mad? Harry is a Light wizard. He is the beacon of the Light side. What will people think when they see him practicing the Dark Arts?" Sirius kept his voice whispered, as though afraid of speaking about the subject too loudly.

I locked eyes with Sirius, seeing that he wasn't quite getting it. "Sirius, Harry has to defeat Voldemort. He can't do that with hexes he learned in school. He has to know how to defend himself in the way that Voldemort and his army will fight: Dark and dirty. It's my job to keep Harry alive. He won't be alive for long not knowing Dark spells.

"All of you supposed Light wizards believe that you will become evil if you use Dark Magic. But it isn't the magic that makes you evil, Sirius. It's your personality, your intentions behind the magic. Harry is the most selfless individual I've ever met and I know for a fact that his intentions will only be saving the ones he loves.

"What you haven't realized yet, Sirius is that there can be a balance between Light and Dark magic in your magical core. There is in mine. I use Dark and Light spells on a daily basis and I have never once regretted it." I finished, not having taken my eyes from Sirius' as he tried to process what I had just said.

"If you use Dark Magic so often, why don't you join the Dark side?" Sirius said angrily.

I rolled my eyes exasperatedly. "Because those on the Dark side are idiots. They follow a Half blood who preaches Pureblood supremacy when he himself has the 'dirty blood' running through his veins. He is a coward who couldn't take being who he was so he had to try and change himself to be what he believed was better, stronger. He wanted to get revenge on Muggles for what they put him through for being different.

"It takes a strong minded person to realize that not all Muggles are alike. Not all of them rape you, beat you, and tear you down just for being different. I may practice Dark Magic, Sirius, but I will never, _never, _join the Dark side because I could never believe in what they do. I could never participate in the acts they partake in, claiming they are better than Muggles, when they are doing so much worse than the very thing that made Voldemort hate Muggles." I ended my rant out of breath, hoping Sirius had finally gotten my point.

We sat in silence for a long time, our coffee forgotten on the table, just looking at each other, trying to judge what the other was thinking.

Finally, Sirius nodded his head. "I understand what you're saying, Bella, I do. But I don't agree with your choice to use Dark Magic and I don't think I want Harry learning it."

I narrowed my eyes at the man before me. "Don't pull a Dumbledore, Sirius. Harry can make his own decisions. I'll be asking him if he wishes to learn Dark Magic, learn to control the desire to do more, before I start teaching him. And believe me; if you attempt to take away Harry's choice in his life, I will never forgive you."

Scooting my chair back, I grabbed my mug and walked back into the kitchen for a refill on my coffee. A few minutes later, I heard the scrape of chair legs as Sirius left the table as well. I ignored him as he walked into the kitchen behind me.

Sirius let out a long suffering sigh, resigned to my explanation. "You're right, of course. It's Harry's choice in the end. I'll make sure to keep it Harry's choice." Having said his piece, he refilled his own mug and left the kitchen. I soon heard footsteps ascending the stairs.

I had expected Sirius to take longer to come to that conclusion, being the Gryffindor that he was, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results of our little conversation.

Satisfied with my accomplishment of the morning, I summoned my book from upstairs and sat down in the living room to read for a while.

A few hours later, I had finished my book and was waiting for the others to wake up. Before they did, however, the floo activated loudly and Severus strolled from the fireplace.

"Good morning, Bella." Severus greeted me as he passed to get his own coffee, the second pot made that morning.

As he entered the room again, I replied, "Good morning. How was your evening?"

After taking a sip of his black coffee, he responded, "No better or worse than usual."

I hummed in my throat, absently nodding my head. We sat in silence as the floor boards above creaked, indicating someone being up and about. Harry was the one who was awake, coming down the stairs while sleepily rubbing his eyes, causing his glasses to be pushed up his forehead.

"Is that coffee I smell?" Harry asked groggily. All I could do was smile softly at how cute my brother was when he first woke up.

"Yes, love. There's coffee in the kitchen." I replied. Harry nodded and turned toward the kitchen.

Coming back a few minutes later with what I knew to be sugar filled coffee, he sat opposite Severus, nodding in greeting and proceeded to drink his coffee silently.

After a while, I got up to refill my coffee, coming back and resuming my seat. Now that I had these two men alone, and Harry looked close to being fully awake, I had something to ask them.

"Harry." I said softly, catching his attention by the serious tone in my voice.

He didn't say anything, just waited for me to explain. "Harry, there is a part of your training that I left out in front of all those people last night. I wanted to bring this up with only you two in the room.

"I'm sure you can feel the Dark Magic in me," I said, staring at Harry, watching his reactions. I knew Harry was powerful enough to sense my magic, but would he realize he had?

"Yeah, I can. I wasn't sure if I was just imagining it though, so I didn't say anything." Harry responded, blushing slightly. He didn't seem to have an aversion to me knowing I did Dark Magic.

"Harry, I want to teach you the Dark Arts. I want to prepare you for the fight against the Dark side. They aren't going to go easy on you, love. They may have orders to leave you alone, but even fighting Voldemort, you're going to need a greater knowledge of what you are going up against." I spoke softly, calmly, trying to portray to Harry the seriousness of the situation.

Harry swallowed nervously. "But… I've heard about people getting addicted to Dark magic. What if… What if it happens to me?" He looked up at me, frightened.

I smiled reassuringly. "That's why I wanted to keep Severus in here for this conversation," I said, glancing at my father from the corner of my eyes. "I wanted to ask him to help you control the desire for the Dark Arts. While I am adept at controlling the urges, I don't have nearly as much experience as Severus does. I don't want to try to help you alone." As I finished, I looked completely at my father to see his reaction.

He was looking at me with intensity in his gaze for just a moment before looking over at Harry. "I do believe that can be arranged, if you would like my help." He said to Harry.

Harry sat there, contemplating what had just been told to him. A few moments later, he looked at Severus and responded, "I would greatly appreciate the help, Professor."

I smiled slightly at the interaction, knowing it was better than most of their previous ones. I caught Harry's eye first, winking at him; then my dad's, smiling softly in gratitude.

It was then that the rest of the house truly began to wake up, the floor boards creaking again as people slipped out of bed.

Severus cleared his throat. "Bella, I have been given a message to pass on to you."

He passed me an envelope with my name on it, written in a familiar scrawl that made my heart warm a little in my chest and a small, goofy smile curl my lips.

As I opened it, the floo activated once more and Molly stepped through, brushing soot off of her dress. I ignored her, as she did me, as she passed me on her way to the kitchen; though I did allow myself a small smirk.

Taking a deep breath, I unfolded the letter.

_Bella, _

_I have asked Severus to bring this to you seeing as how I don't know where you are at the moment. The reason I am writing is that I have been given the opportunity to invite you over for dinner at the Manor tomorrow night. At the risk of sounding like a sap, I miss you already. I want to see you at least once over Yule holiday and tomorrow is my only chance. _

_The only problem is that my mother will be in attendance. Sadly, there was no way around it. If this is a reason that you will not come, I can understand, but I hope you will at least think about it. _

_Write your reply on this letter and Sev will return it to me. If you agree to go, he will also bring you to the Manor tomorrow night at 7. _

_I hope you decide to join me. _

_Draco Malfoy_

While I damn sure didn't want to sit with Draco's mother for a few hours, I would sit through anything to see Draco. I quickly wrote at the bottom of the letter, before handing it back to Severus with a nod to indicate that I was going.

_Draco,_

_How could you think I'd say no to seeing you? Of Course I'll be there. You just let me deal with your mother. _

_Bella_

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**So...? What did you think? Let me know! Again, I should have anothr chapter up in the next few days. I mean, it is already written and revised, so unless I forget, it will be up. :D Review please**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey! So, here is the next update! :D I told you I'd be updating every day. **

**I hope you like this chapter. I should probably warn you that the next few chapters are mainly fillers for the main event in Malfoy Manor. This one, however, is Harry's first lesson. **

**Another warning: A bit of Dumbledore bashing in this one. I didn't intend to make Dumbledore out to be a bad guy in this story, just that he is too controlling of Harry's life, but my muse had other ideas. So, I hope that doesn't bother any of you. **

**Again, please go sign the petition. This website is on the last chapter. **

**All mistakes are my own, and I own nothing. :/**

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Later that day, after lunch, I pulled Harry aside and asked him to choose two people who he wanted to supervise our lessons, besides the Dark Arts lessons. Snape would be the only one allowed there for those.

He choose exactly who I thought he would, Ron and Sirius. While I had assumed he would ask for Hermione to be there as well, when I asked about it, he simply said that he was sure she would try to question every move I made and we would never get anything done. I didn't know her very well, and though she seemed okay, I went with his judgment.

So, here we stood in a room on the third floor that had been cleared out just for this purpose. Sirius and Ron sat in the corner of the room, out of the way in case anything happened, while Harry and I sat in the center of the room in a meditative position.

"Ok, Harry. To start off, I want you to see what you seem to be completely ignorant of. You are one of the most, if not the most, powerful wizards I've ever come into contact with and it's time you realize that." I said.

I scooted closer to him on the floor, "Now, I don't expect you to be able to find it on your own, and don't look at me like that, it's not an insult; just a knowledgeable statement," Harry face had scrunched up in offense at my words. I found it adorable, but I had to have him completely focused for what we were about to do. "Be that as it is, flip your hands over with your palms facing up," I said, slipping my hands into his. "Next, I want you to look at me, keep your eyes locked on mine. I'm going to perform a version of Legilimency, and no, it won't be painful, and it isn't as intrusive as the actual spell, unless I wanted it to be. I want you to latch onto my presence and hang on until I tell you to let go, ok?" I finished, watching him nod with his eyes on mine.

"Before I do this, I have to warn you. Not only is this a form of Legilimency, it is also a way for lovers in old times to see if they were compatible. We are not compatible, magic wise, so this will be slightly uncomfortable, something your body will want to reject, but this is really the only way I can see to help you." Harry nodded in understanding a moment later, an anxious expression on his face.

I took a deep breath and pushed a small portion of my magic out, slipping it into Harry's body. I heard, and now felt, him gasp in discomfort, but he did as he was told and took a mental hold of my magic. I moved the power through his body, shuddering with the effort not to bask in the warm glow of his power. He would soon see just how much magic he had at his disposal.

Heading toward the glowing source of Harry's magic, I kept all of my feelers to myself, because I wanted to make it as comfortable as possible. Knowing we weren't compatible, I didn't want to cause either of us more discomfort than absolutely necessary.

I had told Harry that it wasn't intrusive, and it wasn't, unless the caster made it so. It was a spell that could be altered to do what the caster wanted, aside from checking magical compatibility, and not painful at all, like Legilimency is. The only reason it wasn't used very much anymore was because now, magic had evolved to feel out the ones we were compatible with instead of having to perform this spell.

After about ten minutes of following the warmth, I came upon Harry's vast core, and spotted something unusual. I studied it for a moment, trying to decipher where I had seen it before. As I began to realize what it was, fury burned inside me, like lava in my veins, making my head pound with the effort it took to keep myself in check.

There was a semi-large section of Harry's core blocked off in a box wrapped in metal chains that didn't look to have an opening to them. Someone, and I knew exactly who, had put a block on a part of Harry's magic. It must have been on for so long that it seemed like a part of Harry so no one who was powerful enough could sense a disturbance in his magic. It infuriated me to the point that Harry noticed.

"Bella…? What's wrong?" His voice floated into my head, nervous.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself enough to answer. "There is a part of your magic locked away. This is going to take much longer than I thought it would… That is, if you want it removed." In my anger, I had almost forgotten my promise to ask Harry for his decision before I did something that involved him.

His response can quickly with a sense of urgency. "Or course, I do! Why the hell wouldn't I?" I chuckled slightly, letting some of my anger melt away.

"Alright then, love. Hold on, ok?" I said softly. I took a long look at the box, trying to see past the bit of magic that was hiding something from view. Pushing more of my own magic into Harry, soothing him gently at his gasp at feeling more foreign power entering his body, I quickly sent it to wrap around the box.

Dismantling the spell around the box took a few minutes, but was relatively simple, revealing a padlock connecting the two ends of the chain. Now the only problem was trying to unlock the damn thing…

Using my magic almost like a bobby pin, I went to work at picking the lock. I had never been very good at this, and with Harry's heart beat in my ear, it was even harder, but about ten minutes later, I finally heard a click.

Dropping the lock and watching it disappear, unwound the chain, and it too disappeared. Suddenly, the sides of the box fell off, causing that part of Harry's magic that was extremely underdeveloped, almost like a child's magic would be, to explode out into Harry's core.

I really should have expected what happened next, but in all honesty, I was taken completely by surprise and had no time to protect myself or the other occupants of the room as I was roughly thrown from Harry's body and into the wall behind me. Harry had a soft glow surrounding his body as I looked at him tiredly, panting from the pain of being smack so hard into solid wood.

I turned to see Ron and Sirius being forced back by the shield Harry's magic had erected at feeling my presence in his head. They were banging against it, trying to get to him to see if he was ok, all to no avail. If my back hadn't hurt so god damn bad, I might have laughed at the looks on their faces.

"Harry?" I panted out, trying to control my breathing enough to talk to him, to ease the tension in his shoulders. I was not prepared for this, hadn't expected to have to teach him to control his own magic.

After another few minutes of letting the pain subside enough for me to talk, I said soothingly, "Harry, it's alright. It's just me honey; me, Ron, and Sirius. No one here is going to hurt you. Please, let me help you."

As I waited for some kind of response from my brother, I realized why Dumbledore had put that lock on some of Harry's power. As a child, learning to control all of this being raised by Muggles would have been one of the hardest things anyone would ever do. I knew that first hand. Thankfully, I had my mom's help for a while, but Harry would have had nobody, and I didn't have the amount of power that Harry did.

But again, if Albus knew Harry was going to be this powerful, why wouldn't he raise him in the Wizarding World? Why would he keep him with Muggles where he had to struggle with the power that he did have? And why the fuck would he keep it from Harry? Why wouldn't he tell him, ease the box off slowly and help him control it then? I had been forced to take it off all in one go, which I knew wouldn't be a good idea, because really, the box wasn't very small.

I would be having a serious conversation with Albus, that's for sure.

Harry had relaxed gradually, letting his unconscious shield slip. By the look on his face, confused, angry, and slightly terrified, he had no idea he was doing it.

"Come on, love. Trust me. No one is going to hurt you, let me in, honey. That's it." My voice stayed soft as the shield continued to decrease in size until, a few minutes had gone by and it was completely gone. I moved slowly toward Harry, partly not wanting to startle him again and partly because I felt, what a coincidence, like I had been smacked into a wall. I motioned Ron and Sirius back as they tried to come to Harry. That would not be welcome at the moment, I was sure.

Determined to finish the lesson and get to the real reason behind it, I wrapped my arms tightly around Harry, and said, "Honey, don't panic ok? If it's alright with you, I'm going to go back inside your mind." I waited for Harry's approval, which came a moment later when he looked back into my eyes trustingly.

Entering his body again, I waited for him to latch back on. Back at his core, I looked for any more disturbances in it, which I found none, thankfully. I didn't know what would happen if there were more blocks on his magic. I don't think Harry could handle them being broken today.

"I know you are probably tired, but I want you to let go, love. Now, I want you to latch on to the source of the glow you're seeing, alright? Yes, like that." Finally getting the chance to bask in the beauty of Harry's magic, I sat back as he explored the area like a kid in a candy store.

"Wow. This is great! This… This is all of my magic?" Harry asked wondrously, not really believing he could be so powerful.

I responded with a soft smile, "Yes, dear. All of this is yours. Now, let me tell why I did this. Despite the slight setback, which I'll explain in a moment, the reasons behind this were to boost your confidence in your abilities, and it is also the first step in what you will be learning, wandless magic and controlling the magic in your surroundings mostly.

"You knowing that you are a truly powerful wizard will help you in using that power to your advantage. You've been so sure that everyone was lying to you about your power that you have purposefully dumbed yourself down, and don't give me that, I know you. I know how you think.

"Next, learning these forms of magic wielding means you have to know yourself and the magic that dwells in you. You have to realize that the power you have been given is not to be abused, but cherished. That is what will help you with not only using your own magic, but also the magic of the elements, the magic in objects and places around you.

"Wordless magic will follow wandless and outside magic, because they are the hardest of the three, aside from the Dark Arts, but that will be discussed later. After those two, wordless will come as easy as breathing to you. Kind of a backwards way of doing things, but that is how I learned and that is how I will teach you." I finished my explanation, waiting for Harry to come to terms with it.

Harry's magic block seemed to have affected the way he thought, too, because he responded sooner than normal. "Alright. I'd rather get the hard part out of the way first. Now, what about the block? Did Dumbledore put it there?" Harry's voice was soft with hurt as he asked if his mentor had blocked him from some of his power. I wanted to kill Albus in that moment for hurting my little brother again.

I sighed heavily. "Yes, Harry. Albus put the block on your magic. I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's true. I know his signature and it was all over the box. You didn't seem to realize it, but after I unboxed your magic, you threw me out of your mind, almost like an Occlumency shield, but with a physical manifestation as well.

"You have an incredible amount of power at your disposal, Harry. So much that I'll have to help you to control it. You were strong before the block, but even stronger after." I said.

"More power than you?" Harry asked softly.

"Way more than me. While I have a large amount in my body, about the same as Dumbledore, if not a little more, coupled with my ability to control the magic around me; but you can easily over power Dumbledore and Voldemort together without a real direction in mind. You are truly the most powerful wizard alive, Harry." I said in awe. I heard him sigh sadly in my mind.

"Great. I so wanted more attention than I get all the time anyway." His voice was bitter and filled with sarcasm as he spoke, making me sigh again.

"You'll soon see, love, that all of this power is a good thing. You may hate the attention, but you will be grateful for it later, I promise you. And if it helps at all, I'll always be here to help you take the brunt of it. I will never leave your side, no matter what happens." I mentally smiled at him as he teared up a little.

"Alright, now I think you have a boyfriend and a godfather worried about you. Besides, I believe we have done enough for today. We will pick up again tomorrow, yeah?"

At Harry's mental nod, I extracted myself gently from his mind, coming back to myself sitting in the middle of the room with my brother in my arms.

I smiled at him softly as he sat back, breathing deeply.

Ron was across the room with Harry in his arms before anyone else could move. He cuddled Harry to his chest after placing a passionate kiss on his lips. I smiled at the display.

"Harry," I paused and waited for him to look at me. "I want you meditate every night for about an hour, alright? Just do exactly what you did today, follow the warmth to your core. That way, you'll be more familiar with your magic and learning how to wield it will come easier. And, it will help you to control all that power you have." I finished, receiving a nod from my little brother.

I stood slowly, openly groaning at the pain in my back and chest. Harry looked at me with a guilty expression on his face, which I quickly went to rectify. But before I could, my eyes located a tendril of magic heading towards me, something no one else would be able to see unless they had the experience I had. A moment later, all pain I had felt was gone. I looked at Harry in astonishment.

"Did you just intentionally heal me?" I asked skeptically, my eyes widening slightly at the smirk that came across Harry's face.

"Yes," He replied before saying smartly, "Maybe 'controlling all of this power' will be easier than you thought, huh Bella?"

I glared at him playfully. "Smart ass."

As he laughed at me, I left the room, leaving the boys and Sirius to have their talk, knowing Sirius would burst if he wasn't given an explanation soon.

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**So, let me know what you think! :D**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	18. Chapter 18

**Ok, just to forewarn you, I _suuuuuuuck_ at description of anything, looks, style, etc. So, that being said, I hope you still enjoy this chapter and that my descriptions are good enough that you get the picture. I apologize for not having links to go to for reference. **

**All mistakes are my own. **

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While Harry and I had originally said we would continue our lessons today, he and Ron must have had a late night the night before because they didn't roll out of bed until lunch time, much to Molly's aggravation and my amusement at the expression on her face.

When Harry came down the stairs, showered and dressed at a whopping one in the afternoon, whistling a happy tune, I could nothing but laugh at him. He was such an open book, to the people who knew him the best, that was, that it was ridiculously obvious that he had gotten laid, to some extent at least.

Hearing me laugh, he stopped whistling and his eyes widened as he realized it was getting too late to do our lessons.

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry. I should have set an alarm or something. We can-." I held up my hand, smirking at him.

"Don't stress about it, Harry. We can just start back up tomorrow. Besides, I figured you might be a little too tired after yesterday's events." Speaking of yesterday's events, I hadn't seen hide nor hair of Dumbledore. I desperately wished I saw him before Christmas morning, because I knew I wouldn't hold back, no matter the day, and I really didn't want to ruin the others' Christmas.

Harry seemed to be thinking along the same path as I was, because his eyes clouded in anger. Looking at him, I shook my head in the negative at the silent question of whether the old man had shown up.

Shaking my head to clear the anger that had begun to fester, I stood up. "I'm going to go find Hermione."

Leaving the room and automatically heading for the library, I found Hermione sitting in one of the window seats with a large tome open in her lap.

"Hermione." I said, watching in amusement as her head snapped up to look at me, her hand going to her chest.

"Damn it, Bella. Don't scare me like that." She said slightly out of breath. My smirk only grew.

"Sorry," I said, not sounding apologetic in the least. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to help me pick an outfit for tonight."

That piqued her curiosity. "What's happening tonight?"

I smiled a little, trying and failing to make it less giddy than it was. "Severus is coming to pick me up to take me to Draco's for dinner."

She squealed and slammed her book closed. "Of course, I'll help you."

She left the room ahead of me, ignoring my laughter at her excitement. For some reason, she was being decidedly un-Hermione today. Cursing, if only a small word, squealing and slamming a book closed. It was amazing. I liked it too much to ask about it.

Getting into the room I was sharing with her, I opened my closet and showed her the 6 dresses I had, all dark but all a different style. "These are all I have. I'm not trying to impress anyone, so just take your pick of the ones you like the most, not what you think his parents would like. I'm going to take a shower."

As I stood in the shower, I thought about the fact that I wouldn't have to leave for another five and a half hours or so. Why was I getting ready so early? Oh yeah, because I would get to see the boy that was worming his way into my heart, and fast.

Lathering my hair well with my coconut shampoo, I thought of how I would deal with being in front of Draco's mother, the woman who had hurt Draco so badly. Lucius must have been a stronger person than I, because if it had been me, I'd have killed her when I found out what she had done and made it look like an accident. Being so impulsive makes me somewhat of a Gryffindor, I knew, but when it came to the people I cared about, I would kill someone without blinking.

I realized, though, that I couldn't do that tonight when I met her. That didn't mean, however, that I couldn't fuck with her a little bit. As sick as it made me, an idea began to form in my head, one that would surely provoke her enough for her to throw the first punch, so to speak. She would expose her secret infatuation with her son without me letting on that I already knew, giving me a viable reason to punch her.

First, though, I'd be telling Draco before I did it, to see if he was okay with it. I didn't want to upset him somehow. Just the thought of it made the whole plan seem not worth the effort.

Bringing myself away from my plan and back to my shower, I spelled the hair from my legs, privates, and under arms, not willing to shave to waste time. After rinsing the conditioner from my waist-length hair, I turned the scalding hot water off and stepped out, wrapping myself in the towel that I had placed next to the shower.

I blew out a soft breath infused with a bit of magic, making the steam from my shower disappear, and stared at myself in the mirror. It had gotten easier over time to see what Charlie had done to me and not feel disgusted by the sight of my scars. I still hated the man with everything in me, and I always would, but knowing that Draco thought I was beautiful… it made a world of difference. I just hope he felt that way after he had seen my scars up close and personal. I had to remind myself that he had only seen them through my memories a few months ago.

After scrubbing down my body with the towel, I wrapped my hair in it. With so much time, I might as well do my hair the long way. I was incredibly thankful to Alice for showing me how to make my Muggle devices work in the Wizarding World. It was a damn useful thing to be able to do.

Walking out of the bathroom, I had completely forgotten that Hermione was in the room, until I heard a gasp and a thump. I turned quickly, seeing the Hermione had fallen to the floor from where she had been sitting on her bed, staring directly at me. I quickly summoned another towel and wrapped it around my body.

Looking at her, I saw the blush on her cheeks, spreading down her neck and chest. The only reason why I felt even the least bit embarrassed was because now she had seen all of my scars, not just the ones I had had in the memory Bulstrode had shown in the Great Hall.

"Sorry," I said, actually meaning it this time. "I had completely forgotten you were in here still. Lost in my own thoughts, I guess."

I returned to what I had set out to do in the first place, letting Hermione come back to herself without any further embarrassment. I rummaged through my top dresser drawer and retrieved my make-up, blow dryer and straightener.

Turning back to the still flustered girl, thankful she was now off the floor, I said, "So, which dress did you pick?"

She cleared her throat, shook her head, and stood up. "I picked three, actually. I figured it would at least narrow down your choices."

The dresses she held up were three I really enjoyed wearing. The first one was black, made with the material of a cashmere sweater, soft and lovely against your skin. It had long sleeves with a loose turtleneck, not overly puffy, that dipped down my chest stopping above my breasts; tight enough to make it hug my curves nicely, and came down to about three and half inches above my knees.

The second was another black dress with one long sleeve, made of the kind of stretchy material that clung to your body, but didn't look ridiculous, like the ones that sluts wear on the dance floor, thinking they were sexy. It, too, came down about the same length as the other dress.

The last one was made to look almost like a shirt with a matching skirt and was again black, sleeveless; there was a belt that attached the top half to the bottom at my hips. The bottom half was almost like a tutu, yet not as obnoxious and fluffy. It had a filmy outer covering, while under was what one could consider a slip, coming about another inch shorter than that other two.

All three dresses were amazing, but the only one I could think would be good for this occasion would be the loose turtleneck. I loved that dress because it was very sophisticated while not looking like a woman's suit. The other just seemed like dresses that you would wear to an outing with your friends, which wasn't a bad thing, but still.

Walking over and grabbing the first one I smiled my thanks at Hermione, who was desperately trying to look anywhere but at me, and returned to the bathroom.

I set everything down on the toilet, and decided to start with my make-up, because it involved the least amount of work. Keeping my towel around my body, but dropping the one on my hair, I set to work on my eye liner.

Because I wasn't trying to impress anyone and Draco wanted me just the way I was, I stuck to my normal heavy coat, liner on the top and bottom, connected at either end, charmed water proof. Next was the mascara, which I put on the top and bottom lashes.

Done with my make-up, I combed my lashes free of clumps and declared that done.

Using the charm Alice created, my blow dryer fired up quickly, this made specifically for this purpose, thus having no chord. It took about twenty minutes to get it all dry and afterward, I had to spell it un-poofy. Finally, I again charmed my straightener, that was like the blow dry, cordless, and let it heat up for a moment while I packed away my make-up and blow dryer.

Hearing a soft beep, I turned and picked up the straightener. Taking it in sections, another hour later, all of my hair was straight. The one thing I loved about my straightener was that it was meant to straighten and curl. So, I took gathered groups of hair around my head, and curled the different sections so that it was would be mostly straight with big, bouncy curls lying spread out over the top.

Lastly, putting down the straightener, I took a few bobby pins, gathered my bangs and created a bump with them, pinning them back. I never usually wore my hair like this, but Draco always liked seeing my hair out of my face, and let's be honest. As long as he was happy, everything was alright in my world.

Finally removing my towel, I put on my matching black laced bra and panty set. I then took the dress off its hanger, charmed the neck not to mess up my hair, and slipped it over my head. I especially loved this dress because it covered all of my tattoos and left me not having to glamour them. Taking a last look in the mirror, I smiled at the sight I made.

I looked damn good.

Checking that the straightener was cooled off, I took it and my other supplies out of the bathroom, putting them back in their respective places.

Turning to Hermione, who had, by now, cracked open another book, I said, "What do you think?"

She looked up and stared for a moment as her cheeks reddened and she made a small noise in the back of her throat. "You look beautiful, Bella." She said, her voice a little squeaky, giving me a small, shy smile.

I returned her smile, not even smirking at her embarrassment. No matter what I said out loud, it made me feel good that she thought I looked good. Who doesn't feel good when they're told they look beautiful?

Walking over to my closet, I got into my trunk and found the shoes I was looking for instantly. They were black stiletto pumps, 4 inches high, with a rounded toe. I had loved these shoes from the moment I laid eyes on them. I had been amazed I could walk in them at first, but after practicing, often, I learned how to walk like a pro. It made me glad Draco was quite a bit taller than me, making it a lot less awkward wearing these.

Sometimes, I truly loved magic, as I charmed my shoes so my feet wouldn't sweat, because I hated wearing stockings. I always managed to get a run in them somehow.

Slipping them on, I looked at the clock and realized more time had passed then I had originally thought. It was almost 6 now, and Severus should be here in about a half an hour, if not sooner.

With nothing to put in a purse, I smiled at the thought of not having to worry about it. My knife was glamoured at my calf and my wand was hidden up my sleeve, leaving me with easy access.

Looking to Hermione to see her watching me, I said, "Ready to go downstairs?"

Receiving a smile and nod, I led the way down the stairs.

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**So, what did you think? Let me know! :D **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey! So, here is the next update. I hope you all like it, if anyne is even still on this site reading it, because the purging is aggravating me, too. D: But, Finally Bella gets to Malfoy Manor! Yay! lol **

**In other news, I posted this on Adultfanfiction, and got my first flame. Said that the prologue had no plot and said it was so bad it physically hurt. Blah blah. The person didn't even have the nads to tell me who they were. They should have read the word "PROLOGUE" before opening their coward mouth. But now, I feel as though I am just saying this to say it, however, if anyone has anything to say about my story, please let me know. It really is helpful so that I can improve, whether it be a good or bad review. **

**So, anyway, I own nothing and all mistakes are my own. :/**

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While Hermione and I had been upstairs, the rest of the Weasley clan must have stopped by for dinner because as I stepped into the dining room, there were more people to stare at me then there had been earlier that morning. It wasn't the staring that was unexpected, however; just the number of eyes to stare. I snorted softly when the twins were the first to say anything, whistling at me.

"What do we have-"

"Here, brother? Something rather-"

"Delectable, it seems. I wonder if-"

"We will be allowed a sample?"

I had had a ridiculously hard time following that, not knowing which twin was saying what, just that they were completing each other's sentences. I did, however, catch what they said.

I smirked. "No, darlin', I don't believe you'll be sampling anything. I don't dress up like this for just anyone, thank you."

Their facial expression mirrored each other's, perfecting mock disappointment.

"You wound us-"

"With your rejection,-"

"But I suppose we can-"

"Live through the pain."

They then turned to each other and wrapped their arms around the other, faking sobs into the shoulder they were leaning on. I couldn't help but laugh at the display.

Molly came walking out of the kitchen then, looked at me, and the look on her face as she tried to hold back what she wanted to say made me laugh so hard that I couldn't hold it in and had to bend over holding my stomach. It looked like she had just swallowed something particularly awful and couldn't say anything about it.

However, before anyone could say anything else, the floo could be heard in the other room. A moment later, the door swung open and my father stood framed in the doorway. He looked me over. "Am I to assume that you are ready to go?" He said sarcastically, for what reason I had no clue. I wondered if he was prone to bouts of moodiness or if something had happened to piss him off.

I glared at him. "Yes, _dear._ I'm ready to go."

His eyes narrowed at me before he turned away, expecting me to follow him to the floo. I did so, but after wasting time by giving Harry a peck on the cheek and the others a small, victorious smile.

Leaving the room, I walked to the living room where Severus was waiting impatiently for me. "We will be returning to my home first. This floo is not connected to the Malfoys."

After saying this, he took a handful of floo powder, threw it into the fire, and called out 'Spinner's End' and stepped back to let me through first.

Landing hard and, surprisingly, upright, on the other end, I took the few seconds I had to look around. He lived modestly, the room I was currently standing in decorated in black and green, just as everyone presumably thought. The room had only the bare minimum of furniture in it, a sofa, a coffee table, and a large bookshelf that happened to be the only thing in the room not lacking in the least, over flowing with books.

My perusal of the room was cut short as Severus stepped out behind me. I turned to look at him as he spoke. "We have a few minutes before they are expecting us, so make yourself comfortable."

I followed him with my eyes. "You are joining us for dinner?"

He sneered as he jumped to the wrong assumption of my question. "Yes, I am. I do hope you have no problem with that."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You are always so damn guarded, dad. Not everyone is out to fucking hurt you. I only meant that Draco didn't mention you would be staying, just that you would be bringing me." I sneered back at him, aggravated that he could even think that his daughter wouldn't jump at the chance to send time with him and exasperated with his continuous need to be on the defensive.

"Believe me, Bella, everyone is out to hurt me. They have been since I was a boy, and they always will be. I just don't let it bother me anymore." He responded, clamping his mouth shut as he realized he had just revealed a little bit of himself to someone.

I snorted sardonically. "Right. Don't let it bother you anymore. If it didn't bother you, you wouldn't jump to fucking conclusions about every little thing a person says. How could you possibly think your own daughter would want to hurt you? That I wouldn't want to spend time with you, huh?" He was beginning to make me angry.

He looked at me then. Looked at me in a way I had never seen before, not from him anyway. It was as though he couldn't believe what had just come out of my mouth, though what exactly he couldn't believe, I didn't know until he spoke. "That's twice that you've acknowledged me as your father." His voice was soft, barely a whisper of its usual sound; vulnerable.

I laughed disbelievingly, not acknowledging his moment of weakness, because I knew he would get annoyed if I did. "You say that like you think I'm disappointed in whom my father is. I might not know you very well, but that doesn't mean that I haven't heard just how much you do for others. You may be a Slytherin, but you have some Gryffindor selflessness in you. I'm damn proud to say you're my father."

For a few minutes, nothing was said. He just looked at me to judge how serious I was, apparently finding what he was looking for, nodding his head and clearing his throat. "We should be leaving."

Stepping back to the floo, he again took a handful of floo powder, called out Malfoy Manor, and stepped back.

Landing, amazingly twice in one night, upright and relatively unruffled, I looked around and saw no one in the room. The floo activated again behind me, Severus stepping through and dusting the both of us off, as I had forgotten somehow. Maybe I was more nervous than I had originally thought.

A minute later, I was greeted with the sight of three blondes making an appearance in the room. While I knew there were two other people in front of me, my eyes went to one, the most important one of all.

Draco was dressed in his usual formal wear, a black cloak over fitted slacks, some color button down shirt, probably black, and dress shoes, nothing I had never seen before; but seeing him for the first time in almost a week, because I hadn't left the castle until three days into break, was like laying eyes on him for the first time all over again. And his smile, his smile made the night I knew I was going to have with his mother all worth it.

I decided to play dumb for the moment, knowing full well how to act in a Pureblood's home, and ignoring that Slytherins didn't show emotion, and go for what I wanted more than anything. I walked forward unhurriedly, ignoring the others in the room. Keeping my eyes on Draco's, I brought my arms up to wind around his neck and placed my head on his chest, closing my eyes in bliss as I felt his warm chuckle against my hair. His arms came around my back, one hand resting on the upper part and the other on the lower region as he squeezed me firmly.

Leaning down, he whispered, "I've missed you so much that it's embarrassing."

I chuckled breathily, pulling back to stare up, yes, still I have to stare up even with these heels on, into his eyes. My fingers played with the ends of his hair at his nape. "The feeling is mutual, darlin'."

He smiled at me and we had eyes only for each other until a throat cleared snootily somewhere behind Draco. He turned his head enough to glance out the corner of his eye at the woman who had done the throat clearing.

"Yes, Narcissa?" Draco asked uninterestedly. No matter how much I knew it was a bad idea, I couldn't help but look over at the woman who had torment my Draco as a child.

The woman before me was every bit the upper-class Pureblood witch she claimed to be, except for the look on her face. She had high cheeks bones, red painted lips, and obviously unnatural arcs in her eyebrows, up so high that it made her look surprised all the time. Someone had made the mistake of telling her it looked good for a woman her age to wear two colors in her hair, the under part half platinum blonde in waves down her back and the top, curled into an artful roll at the side, was brown. She was looking at me in pure distaste, her eyes going to the appendages touching Draco, which was most of me, and back up to my eyes, her eyes filled with hate and disgust.

I saw the irony in her disgust, and it took all of my will power, as small as it was in the case of this vile woman, to keep my mouth shut and my hands away from her neck.

I looked back at Draco to see that he had indeed noticed the tensing in my body, and was looking at me to see if I was alright. I took the time to urge him to let me into his mind, which he did so willingly.

I spoke softly into his mind. "I have a plan, but I need to make sure you are okay with it first. I will only go through with it if you can honestly tell me you will be alright." As I showed him what I was plotting to do, I felt the multitude of emotions it brought forth in him: awkwardness, pain, satisfaction, humor, and finally, acceptance.

"Go ahead, love. I almost can't wait to see the results." He replied, smirking a bit.

"You're sure? Because, Dray, you are the one who has to deal with the ramifications after I leave." I was still hesitant as I didn't want any harm to come to him over my stupid ideas.

He smiled softly at my concern for him. "Trust me, nothing will happen."

"If anything does, and you try to keep it from me, know that I will figure it out. And I'll make her suffer." I promised, hoping he realized just how serious I was.

His response was to squeeze my waist tighter and push me gently from his mind. "I know, love. I know." He whispered in my ear, placing a soft kiss to my temple before releasing me.

Stepping back reluctantly and ignoring his mother for the time being, I walked to Lucius and held out my hand. "Hello Lord Malfoy. Pleasure seeing you again." I said with a smile as he grabbed my hand, bent over it and kissed the back softly.

Standing straight again, he replied, "The pleasure is all mine Ms. Swan, I assure you. And please, call me Lucius. I believe we know each other well enough for that."

"It's Ms. Dwyer now, Lucius, but please, call me Bella." I smiled again as he nodded.

Finally, I turned to the bitch that I didn't want to touch unless it was to kill her slowly and painfully, but was expected to shake her hand.

"Mrs. Malfoy, nice to meet you." I said monotonously, hoping she got how I really felt from my tone and in the way I purposefully called her Mrs. and not Lady.

Her face pinched even tighter at the obvious snub, while I was glad that she caught it, as she held out her hand, as though I were a man intended to kiss the back of it. I wanted to grab her by the wrist and snap it.

Instead, I took her hand like I would someone from Texas and shook it, my grip loose. Her mouth opened in horror, and my lips quirked up into a smile. Needless to say, she didn't return my 'nice to meet you' sentient.

While I had had no intention in making myself look like I was uneducated, I couldn't help it when she automatically assumed that she was better than me. She was no better than the bugs I smashed back home. No, even they were above her.

I could only smirk at her back as I imagined how she would react later that night what my real plan came to light.

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**So, what did you think? Be honest. :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey! So, I know it has been three, almost 4 days, but I... have no excuse besides laziness. I just wanted to update when I had written another chapter and I didn't do that until tonight. So, here goes the next chapter. **

**A shout out to a few reviewers:_ CullenxVamp -_I apologize for this chapter notbeing all that much longer, but I hope the chapter in and of itself makes it worth it. **

_**xxxlauraaxxx -**_**It's okay. lol. Everyone has their lazy moments, like I did the last few days; you still left a name. :) Thank you for the encouragement. I really needed it after that stupid review I got. :p**

_**GothicAnn87**_** -****I'm really glad that you like my story so much. :D I totally agree with you on the personality thing, it's why I chose to do Bella this way. I hope I continue to make you happy with this story. **

**To all of my reviewers who were not mentioned: IT DOESN'T MEAN I DIDN'T APPRECIATE THEM! I love getting reviews and if it wasn't for all of your support, this story wouldn't be what it is. Thank you ALL so much! :D **

**Anyway, now that I have done that, on with the story. :) This chapter was especially fun to write. *Insert evil smirk* lol**

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As we ventured into the dining room, my heels clicking against the hard-wood floors the only noise that could be heard, I stayed close to Draco, his hand comfortably gripped in mine. I played it up, however, as I snuggled close to him, offering a shy smile even as he saw my true intent in my eyes. His smile grew wider in return, bending to kiss my forehead softly.

My heart warmed in my chest even though I knew he was just playing along with what I had started. I looked up just in time to see Narcissa looking quickly forward, her hands curled into tight fists at her sides. I smirked.

I looked around at the house as we walked, coming up with nothing to think other than overly extravagant. I felt like I would break something just by looking at it the wrong way. Every little knick knack looked like it was an antique, one probably costing more than everything I owned put together.

I shook my head in disbelief that anyone could want to live in a house that was so… untouchable. It made me uncomfortable just standing in it.

Reaching the dining room after walking for what felt like ten minutes, Lucius moved to the head chair at the long table, sitting himself down as Narcissa sat at his right. Draco pulled out the second seat to his father's left for me before sitting in the seat to my right. Severus sat at my left, looking as bored as always.

As soon as we were all seated, food appeared on the table. Everything that a person could imagine was sitting there, waiting to be eaten. Feeling my mouth water, I distracted myself by running my fingers softly up Draco's thigh under the table and looking up at him from under my lashes with a coy smile. He smiled smugly at me, making no move to stop my hand.

Looking out of the corner of my eye across the table, I noticed Narcissa watching us. I wanted to laugh at her as I saw the anger sizzle in her eyes. She would be much easier to crack than I had thought.

After waiting for Lucius to put food on his plate and take a bite, the rest of us began to load our plates. I picked up a piece of well-seasoned steak, hand-mashed potatoes, and some broccoli. I reached out to grab a roll from the bread basket, only to have a larger hand flash in front of mine and grab one for me, putting it on my plate. I looked up at the owner of the hand, smiling bashfully at Draco's gentle smile. Though I would never admit it out loud, Draco being this sweet to me made me incredibly happy. I was almost sad that it was an act.

As we ate, I would randomly squeeze Draco's knee under the table, occasionally glancing at him out of the corner of my eyes and smiling at him. I also kept an eye on Narcissa, watching her reactions to my glances at Draco and seeing her looking at my hand as it slid under the table to Draco's leg. It was hilarious to see her glaring at me while trying to keep her mouth shut.

So far, dinner had been a quiet affair, the only noise being the scrap of cutlery on the plates, and the occasional conversation between Lucius and Severus. Narcissa was too busy glaring at my hand to contribute to conversation and Draco and I kept giving each other looks.

At one point, I saw Draco slid his hand under the table, before feeling it settle on my leg and not moving. I looked up at him and remembered my activities from the other night. For the first time in I don't know how many years, a small blush actually spread across my cheeks as I looked away from his amused, curious eyes.

I looked up when I heard my name. "Bella, how has everything been at school? Any more trouble?"

Looking at Lucius, I smiled a little. "No, sir. There was a little bit of it the day after, but nothing too big. A few words of… advice from me and I was left alone." I smirked a little at my use of the word 'advice.' Advice indeed…

He nodded his head with a small smirk of his own. "That's good. It's time things went back to normal for a while before…" He trailed off, leaving the sentence open. We all knew what he was referring to.

He was right. It would be good for some normalcy before the war that was inevitable. I sighed as I thought of the trouble that would bring my brother.

"Speaking of, what are your views on the war…Bella?" The way she said my name made it sound like it actually left a bad taste in her mouth; and the first time all night I had heard anything come out of Narcissa's mouth, it just had to be something I didn't want to talk about.

I smiled politely nonetheless. "I have no views on the war, Mrs. Malfoy. I am waiting to see what side will win before I make any decisions on what I believe." Lies, all of it. But sitting in front of Voldemort's bitch, I couldn't exactly tell her what I really thought.

"But I sensed Dark Magic in your core. Surely, you can't side with the Light if you practice the Dark Arts." She said mockingly, making me want to slap her. I would put up with a lot at times, but being talked to like a child wasn't something I handled well.

"Like I said, I am a neutral party. I use and respect all types of magic, the Dark Arts being a type of magic. I prefer to ride the fence, as it were, then to fight for a side that may not win." I replied as nicely as I could.

Her eyes ignited abruptly in fury at my words. "So you are admitting you believe that the Dark side will lose, is that it?" She said angrily, her eyes trying to spit fire at me from across the table, her hands now white-knuckling the table.

I shook my head, completely unfazed by her anger. "That is not what I said. I said that I wouldn't fight for someone that may lose, meaning both sides of the war. Call me cowardly, but I'd rather not die for something I just found out about. While you have been in England all your life, raised with the knowledge of what they were fighting for, I have not been and am new to this country. I cannot make a decision on my beliefs in a few short months."

"But the Dark Lord will assuredly win. You have no doubt seen the Potter boy that is supposed to vanquish him. The Dark Lord will crush him." She replied, her voice smug now. Her emotions were giving me whiplash with how quickly they changed.

_Not when I'm done teaching him all that I know, _I thought. "I have seen Potter, and I've talked to him. While he may seem like no threat, in my experience, I would advise you never to underestimate the enemy, Mrs. Malfoy. It can lead to your downfall." My voice had taken on a knowledgeable quality.

Narcissa looked angry again at what she seemed to take as favoritism for Harry, Lucius stepped in. "Be quiet, Narcissa. The girl has already expressed her opinion, leave it be." His tone brooked no argument.

Even as she listened to her husband, Narcissa kept her eyes on mine. A quickly developing hatred was resting there, making me raise an eyebrow at her. She wouldn't get to me. I had faced down worse than this woman before me and come out the winner. They may not have been a witch, but I felt confident in my power, in my abilities. She may be powerful, as well as educated, but I _would_ win if it came down to that.

I was broken out of my stare match with the bitch across the table from me by a firm squeeze of my thigh. I looked up into Draco's eyes, answering his silent question of my wellbeing with a small smile. He moved the hand on my leg and grabbed my hand from his knee, bringing it into view and kissing my knuckles, then the back.

My soft smile was anything but faked as he looked directly into my eyes, conveying just how much he cared in that one look and gesture. It made my heart jump to my throat and my eyes tear up a bit. How I got so lucky, I will never know.

A throat clearing broke us from our moment, and we both looked into the angry eyes of his mother. She was looking between us with, disgustingly enough, jealousy burning in her gaze. I looked at her with faked confusion and skepticism.

Draco chose that moment to speak, his voice stilted as he grew uncomfortable with his mother's stare. "I'm going to take Bella on a tour of the gardens." He stood up and pulled out my chair, wrapping an arm around my waist as he walked me away from the dining room. I chanced a look back at Narcissa to see her staring at Draco's arm around me with fury pooling in her eyes. Him holding me close was the last straw for her. And we hadn't even done as much as I was thinking we would have to.

Leaving the room, I smirked viciously. She had been entirely too easy to crack, with my continuous touching of Draco and me telling her I chose no side, and now I got to see the aftermath and hopefully get a few punches in.

As Draco led me through the halls, I realized we weren't going to the gardens. When he stopped in front of a door, muttering a password before stepping in and pulling me in behind him, I discovered that we were in his room.

Walking into a sitting room, He released my hand and walked over to a couch, sitting down heavily. "Did you see the look in her eyes? How could she… My own mother-." He broke off midsentence, too disgusted to finish. I heard a soft intake of breath and knew Draco had been pushed too far.

I slipped my shoes off quickly and made my way to him, kneeling down in front of him. His head was in his hands, his elbows on his knees. I wanted to cry at the sight of Draco so broken in front of me.

"Dray… Look at me, please." I whispered, my hands cupping his face and urging it up. When I did finally get him to look at me, his eyes were red-rimmed and a tear was making its way down his cheek.

"Bella, she's my mother. She's supposed to love me, protect me; not-not want to fuck me." His voice was harsh as he spoke of her, pained. It killed me, seeing Draco like this… I vowed there and then that she would feel Draco's pain, only ten times worse.

Moving between his knees, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close to me, pressing my face into his neck as he rested on my shoulder. This man meant everything to me, and I was the reason he had had to see his mother's reactions to us together, tonight. Oh god… "Draco, I'm so sorry. This is my fault, I-."

Draco looked at me, his eyes fierce. "Don't. Don't think this is your fault. You being here tonight would have brought out that reaction in her, Bella. Even without your plan, I would have touched you tonight. She would have been," he seemed to choke on the next word. "Jealous… of you, of us, either way."

He buried his face back in my neck as a fresh wave of pain slammed into him at the vicious truth in his words. I realized it, too. Narcissa didn't just love her son; she was in love with him, as disgusting as it was to think about. I had always believed that you should be able to love whomever you wanted freely, but not this… This wasn't okay. Not by a long shot.

I ran my fingers gently through Draco's hair, mussing it from its original gelled form. I placed gently kisses on his neck as he cried softly into my shoulder.

After a while, he pulled back and looked at me. His eyes had turned into molten silver, like mercury. The color distracted me so much that I didn't realize he had leaned in until I felt his soft, full lips press firmly to mine.

We had kissed before, plenty of times actually. But this kiss, this kiss was different from the others. Every time we had kissed before, it had been searching, trying to discover the other person, how far we could press each other. We had always been cautious because we both knew we had ugly pasts that might make us uncomfortable with certain things.

But this kiss… This kiss was wild, passionate; hungry. There was no slow, cautious build up, just pure need and desperation. It was all tongues, teeth, and lips; nothing gentle about it.

Draco bit my lips, making me moan into his mouth. He pushed me backwards, following me down to the floor with our lips connected. His hands roamed my body; sliding up my dress, cupping my breasts, trailing down my torso. He pushed his tongue in my mouth and I sucked at it softly, moaning as his hands made contact with my thigh, pulling my leg up over his hip, the other soon following.

His hard cock was pressed firmly into my panties, his hips moving against me. My underwear rubbed deliciously against my clit, making me gyrate my hips, hoping for even more friction.

This might have just been a result of Draco's need to be in control after all of it had been taken from him his whole life. Maybe it was just the spill over from actual desire when we were touching each other earlier. And maybe it was just the need to feel close to somebody in suck an emotional moment. But, whatever the reason, I couldn't stop it; didn't want to. I just knew I had to get closer to the man that made me feel things I had never felt before.

There was no time to think about what was happening, no time to worry about being afraid of making the other uncomfortable. All there was were the sensations. All there was were Draco's hands, his cock, his lips… Just him.

Not long after, the friction became too much for the both of us and we were gone, moaning the other's name before floating in the post-coital bliss. Draco rolled to the side, pulling me into his arms.

"Wow…" I said softly. It was never easy for me to come, but here this beautiful man was, making it happen from just rubbing against me.

"I do believe I have to agree with that sentient." Draco replied breathlessly. It didn't matter that Draco's parents and my dad were downstairs. It didn't matter that we had done this during an emotional moment and ran the risk of one of us regretting it. What mattered was that we were basking in the moment of being together in a way I hadn't thought either of us would be ready for for quite some time.

After our breathing calmed down, I waved my hand and Draco and I were both cleaned up, hair and clothes back in place. Standing up, I reached down to grab Draco's hand, helping him to his feet. Looking up at him from under my lashes, I smiled slightly.

He smiled in return before tipping my chin up with his finger and pressing a kiss to my already swollen lips.

Slipping my shoes back on, we left the room and headed back down the hall and toward the dining room.

As we got closer, we head raised voices. We looked to each other for a moment, before hurrying down the hallway, my heels clacking louder as my speed increased.

Reaching the room, we stepped in just in time to hear, "You are an absolutely vile woman. How could you possibly think that way? About your own son?" Lucius' voice cracked at the end, not being able to take the emotional conversation. Stepping farther into the room, my heels drew the attention of those present.

The first thing Narcissa saw was our kiss swollen lips and the hickeys I hadn't realized we had. She switched her gaze down to our hands; fingers twined together between us, and let out an ugly noise.

"How dare you touch my boy, you filthy little harlot?" She shouted at me, taking a few steps towards me.

I narrowed my eyes at the possessive tone in her voice. "Your boy? No, Narcissa, Draco is mine. You are the most disgusting… thing I have ever seen if you truly think that it's okay to feel the way you do for _your son!_" I was yelling by the end and I was walking forward to meet the woman in the middle. I knew Lucius was too much of a gentleman to truly hurt his wife, but that wouldn't stop me.

"What I feel for Draco is completely platon-." She didn't get to finish that lie, as my fist flew out and smashed into her nose before she could. She fell to the floor and I took advantage of it, getting on top of her and proceeding to slam my fist into her face again and again. I had imagined breaking her face so many times that now that it was coming true; hearing her scream was just too good.

I stopped hitting her, only to move my hands down to her throat and wrap them around it, squeezing hard. I wanted her to die by my hand, and if she didn't now, she would one day soon.

I felt hands grappling at my arms, jerking me back away from the broken woman under me. I didn't fight, not as gone as I had been the night my memory had been shown to the Great Hall. And, I knew I would get her one day. She would feel pain like no other when that day came.

I only got one more glimpse of Draco; his face concerned as he looked at me. I was able to smile to show him I was fine, before I was pushed through the floo, landing on my ass in Spinner's End.

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**Well, what did you think? Let me know please! **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey! So, here is the next installment. Hope you like it. :D**

**Oh, and in my last chapter, I forgot to thank a few other people; well, more than a few, but anyway.  
**

**To all of those that favorited me or the story, or put me or the story on alert, Thank you all! It means so much to me that you all like my writing as much as you do, and I'm so glad you like this story. Thank you. :)  
**

**All mistakes are mine, and I own nothing. :/  
**

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Sitting on the floor, breathing hard, I looked down at my hands as they throbbed. My knuckles were busted and bloody, but nothing looked broken. I thanked god for small miracles.

The floo came to life in front of me and Severus stepped out. I grabbed the heel of my shoe and pulled it off, letting it clatter to the floor before doing the same to the other one. After completing that, I stood and faced my father.

"Are you out of your mind?" He questioned me, his voice deadly soft. "She is a fully grown witch with extensive practice in the Dark Arts. She could have killed you! The least you could have done was pull out your damn wand, not jump on her!" What had started as a whisper had become full on yelling in my face as he slowly turned red, him having long since dropping all pretense of control.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't get as much enjoyment out of using my wand as I do feeling my knuckles slam into a person's face. And I've wanted to beat her brains in for quite some time."

He didn't seem to catch my last statement yet. "That is completely beside the point, Bella! The point is you acted like a barbarian back there, no class whatsoever. Witches don't use hand-to-hand combat unless absolutely necessary. It was completely atrocious, the way you acted." Severus finished, luckily for me no longer yelling. I didn't know when he had started caring about class, but he hadn't a month ago in the Great Hall.

I narrowed my eyes and decided to ignore that fact, acting instead like he had thought that way all along. "Maybe for you, that is how shit gets handled. But where I'm from, we handle people like that with a good kick in the ass!" My drawl was becoming more pronounced as I spoke, my anger at my dad rising steadily. "You didn't raise me_, dad. _I was brought up way different than you were."

Severus looked pained for a moment, his earlier anger forgotten completely at my mention of him not raising me. "Do you think I didn't want to raise you? Do you think that I didn't wish every day that I had followed you, wished that I could take back everything I said to you mother? You two meant the world to me, Bella, even when I had no clue you existed." His voice was soft, betraying that pain he felt and letting me know just how serious he was. But that wasn't what we were discussing, and I said as much.

"That is not the point of this conversation." I said quickly. Besides, after what had just happened, it was too much to take in one night. "The point is that l handled that situation exactly how I fucking wanted to, and I'm goddamn happy I did, because the fucking bitch deserved it."

I sat down heavily on the sofa behind me, placing my head in my hands. Even with the shit that was now sitting in my lap, I could only hope Draco was alright. Dread and foreboding was spreading through my body and I had a feeling that this was about to open a whole new can of worms for the both of us, but it was going to affect Draco the most.

After a few minutes of silence, Severus spoke again, speaking slowly, changing the subject. "What exactly was going on with you and Draco tonight, Bella?" He asked quietly, suspiciously.

I feigned innocence. "What do you mean, dad?"

He snorted at me. "You know precisely what I mean, you little brat; the touching, the looks, the smiles. You two never act that way. Why change so suddenly?"

I refused to look at him as I practically saw the cogs turning in his mind. "You knew all along, didn't you? About her feelings?" Severus said, outraged.

I sighed heavily. I knew he would catch on quickly, so there was really no point in lying. "Yes, I did. I went there tonight with the intention of snuggling up to Draco, so as to draw out her ugly side. I wanted her to get so angry that she admitted her feelings without me having to let on that I knew anything. That way, I could beat the hell out of her without raising suspicion." I kept my voice soft, trying not to make Severus angry again.

"I had a feeling you and Lucius would notice the interactions between Draco and me, I was kind of banking on it actually. I kinda hoped that you wouldn't be too against it when you realized why I did it." I still hadn't looked up at my dad, afraid of his reaction. No matter what I said, I didn't want him to be disappointed in me.

He was quiet for a while, before he said, "If I hadn't known you were my daughter, this would have made me realize…" I looked over at him to see him smirking at me.

"So… You aren't pissed?" I asked him hesitantly.

He sighed. "I do wish you would have informed me before hand, but no, I'm not angry. I'm… actually a bit proud to say that my daughter is a true Slytherin." He said softly, making me smile a little.

Meeting his eyes, we shared a small smile. I may have lost a lot of time with my dad, but we were steadily getting closer to the father-daughter point, even though I knew we would have to dredge up some ugly things before we truly got there.

Looking away and into the flames of the fire place, I stood up. "I should be getting back to Grimmauld." I walked over to get my shoes, slipping them on as Severus walked to the jar of floo powder.

After saying goodbye, he sent me through, and I landed in the living room of Grimmauld, catching sight of blonde hair. My brows crinkled in confusion, before rising in growing realization. No one in this place was blonde, and the Malfoys couldn't get here…

"Well, Bella. Who you been killing today?" My head jerked up at the sound of the feminine voice.

"Rose?" I said skeptically. Why in the hell was she here? I hadn't wanted to travel to them for two measly weeks, why would she come here?

"The one and only. Now come and give me a hug, whore." She said smiling at me.

I stood laughing and walked to her, hugging her tightly. She gripped my waist tight, holding me close as I buried my face in her pretty blonde hair.

Pulling back I heard, "Surprise!" and looked over Rose's shoulder to the door, seeing Sirius, who was grinning like a kid who was awaiting approval after completing a good deed.

I narrowed my eyes a bit and said, "I can't believe you did this, Sirius," but I paused, then smiled and said in a softer tone, "Thank you."

He smiled back softly and nodded, leaving the room as Rose and I sat down.

The first thing Rosalie did was grab my wrists, bringing my hands up to her face to inspect my knuckles. "Who the hell was dumb enough to get on your bad side?"

As she began to heal the cuts, I snorted. "So far, couple of different people. It's a long story."

She smiled again. "I got time, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere until you have to go back to school." Her southern drawl was making mine more pronounced. Every time I got around my Texan family, my accent became more prominent. So much so, in fact, that it was hard as hell to hide again after they left.

However, my smile only got bigger at the news. I had missed her so much and to hear that she was staying for a while made me ecstatic.

After she finished with my hands I said, "Alright, but let's make some coffee first, okay?"

Twenty minutes later, we were sitting back on the couch and I began to tell her everything, starting from the beginning and stopping at when I popped out of the floo.

She said nothing as I talked about all that had happened in the last three months, which was entirely too much if the looks on her face were anything to go by. She listened intently, her eyes narrowing and widening at different times.

By the time I was done, I was crying. Rosalie pulled me into her arms, rocking us back and forth as she shushed me. Even as I let her comfort me, though, I wished it were Draco's arms around me instead of Rosalie's. I loved Rose, she was the one who had introduced me to the Cullens, but her arms just weren't the same as Draco's. No one's ever would be, I knew.

"You sure have had a few hectic months, haven't you, sweetness?" She said softly, kissing the top of my head.

I didn't reply, just laid my head against her chest. Rose was the one I turned to with all my problems. She was the reason why my head wasn't as fucked up as it could be.

During my time of club hopping, after my escape from Charlie, I had met Rosalie on my first visit to one of the clubs. I had already made a reputation of being the one who would take a girl back for a good time and expect nothing but my alcohol in return.

A beautiful blonde with crystal blue eyes, and an expression of complete calm had caught my eye right away, her ethereal beauty making her stand out above all the other woman. She was looking directly at me when I had noticed her, her head subtly motioning me over. When I had reached her, her hands had wrapped around my waist confidently.

"You reputation precedes you, darlin'." She said in my ear, letting me know exactly what she wanted. Instead of replying, I had grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom, got down on my knees and pushed her skirt-clad legs apart, quickly getting to work.

Once I was finished, she was panting and exhausted. Composing herself eventually, she had gotten up, led me back to the bar, and bought my drinks for the night.

I learned her name was Rosalie when she came back every night for a month after that first night. She was a Texan, through and through, born and raised in Fort Worth. She hogged all of my time away from other women and she was so damn beautiful that I couldn't say no. It wasn't until she wanted to go farther with me that it became a problem.

I had let her take me home one night, and had somehow agreed to go on a date with her.

The night had been going fine until she tried to reciprocate what I had been doing for her for the last month. Needless to say, I freaked out about her touching me and lashed out with my magic.

IT was then that I had met the Cullens, a mismatched family of wizards and witches. Carlisle and Esme had moved to the States during the first war and had stayed when it ended, liking Texas too much to leave, as well as having already started adopting kids who knew nothing but Texas all their lives.

The kids, not always young when they were brought into the house, that Carlisle and Esme took in were magical children with no place to go because their families threw them out or whatever the reason. They were the kids who had no idea anything to do with magic actually existed, just that they could do things no one else could, making them outcasts and, what they were always told, unlovable. Carlisle and Esme had taken them in and raised them, teaching them all they needed to know about magic. By the time I had met them, all of the kids were already a part of the family.

Knowing there were others like me around, I started going to see them all the time. I had kept my life a secret for the first year or so until Carlisle had caught sight of my scarred flesh and demanded an explanation.

Before that day, I had never offered an explanation to Rosalie as to why I had freaked that night; we had just gone about our days as though it never happened. So, when the family found out about my life, Rosalie took me aside and apologized. I had cried and apologized too, and we had been best friends ever since, never going back to the sexual… well, not really a relationship, but something of the sort.

Although, we still enjoyed joking with other people like we were lovers. It was something that never ceased to make us laugh.

So, I was closest to Rosalie out of all the rest of them, even though I loved them all dearly. Now, though, now that I was being held by the woman who had inadvertently led me to my good fortune, I realized just how much I had missed her.

Inhaling deeply, I leaned back from her embrace, looking up at her. "I love him, Rose. I truly, one hundred percent, love him." I hadn't uttered the words aloud until now, not even sure if that was what I felt. But as I spoke, I knew that I meant every word.

She smiled softly at me. "I know you do, honey. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him."

I smiled even wider, a giddy feeling spreading through me. "I can't wait for you to meet him. I know you're gonna approve, I can feel it. And…" I trailed off, suddenly smiling innocently. "He gets his good looks from his father." I said in a sing-song voice.

Another thing I had I discovered about Rosalie long ago. She didn't care about age, gender; race. She was attracted to beauty, and even I had to admit that Lucius Malfoy was damn beautiful.

She smirked at me. "Oh Bella, I think you know me too well." We shared a laugh at that, forgetting the tense moments from earlier.

We fell asleep in the living room that night, me still in my dress and make up, curled up in Rosalie's arms under a blanket, dreaming of a blonde with mercury eyes.

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**Ok, so let me know what you think! :D**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi! So, here is the next update. Sorry it took all weekend, but I think I might start taking weekends off, because let me tell you, the chapter I was working on took me forever to finally get it the way I wanted it. Anyway, here it goes. **

**I own nothing and all mistakes are my own. :/**

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The next morning, I woke to Rosalie shaking me gently. Looking up at her blearily, I narrowed my eyes.

"What time is it?" I asked my voice gruff from sleep.

She smiled a little. "About 8:30. You slept late this mornin', honey."

"Don't jinx it, bitch." I hadn't slept past 4, maybe 4:30 in a long time, and damn did it feel good. Grunting as I pushed myself up, I pushed my fingers through my hair, pulling at the bobby pins easily. Grabbing all my hair, I pulled it up into a pony tail and stood.

I placed my fist on my lower back and pushed up as I bent backwards, groaning in satisfaction as my back cracked all the way up. Standing up, I placed my palm on my chin and pushed my head to the left, then to the right as my neck popped pleasantly.

Rose watched me and shivered. "I hate it when you do that." She said, making me chuckle. It was her complaint every time I did it. I gave her the same answer I always did: I shrugged.

I made my way to the kitchen and started the coffee, inhaling deeply the sweet aroma of coffee in the morning.

"Kreacher." I called softly, waiting for the pop that signaled the little elf's arrival, which came a moment later.

"Mistress Dwyer has summoned Kreacher?" The house elf spoke respectfully, almost gratefully to me. He hadn't had a dark witch around the house in a long time, plus the fact that I was a Black by blood, making him more loyal to me then he was to the real Master of the house. I thought it was kind of amusing, though Sirius didn't find it funny.

I smiled at the elf. "Would you mind going to wake Harry for me? Tell him we have a lesson to get to today." The elf nodded his head, and popped from the room.

As I waited for the coffee to brew, the house gave a shake. I cursed softly, knowing there was only one person in the house who could do that.

Setting down my cup, I took off up the stairs, and rushed down the hall, pushing past the other people who had come out into the hallway to see what the hell that was, and jerked Harry's door open.

Inside, the room was in shambles. The bed covers were ripped to shreds, the curtains torn from the windows. Furniture was busted and thrown around the room. The fact that the magical burst was only maybe 2 seconds in length made the room look even more astonishing than it might have if it had been a 2 minute earthquake. I couldn't believe that Harry had done this as fast as he did.

Looking around the room, I located a terrified house elf in the corner as far away from the beds as possible and walked to him slowly. Kreacher was crouched down against the wall, shaking his head and pulling on his ears, mumbling about how he had only tried to do what mistress asked.

I immediately took the little elf into my arms and began to coo at him. "Shh, Kreacher, it's ok. You did exactly what I asked, you're not in trouble. I'm sorry; I should have realized Harry would react like this." I rocked him slightly as he calmed down at my reassurance that he wasn't in trouble.

His big eyes looked up at me. "Is Kreacher allowed to go now?" He asked softly, and I nodded my assent. He vanished from my arms with a 'pop.'

I stood and turned around, looking for Harry, though it wasn't hard. He was sitting on his bed, wrapped in a protective shield, looking frightened. It seemed, by the expression on his face, that he could see this shield.

"Harry. Harry, honey, it's me." I stopped as he looked at me, afraid. I smiled at him. "It's ok, love. No one was hurt, and the room is fixable."

He relaxed slightly at my words, but still looked freaked out. I drew his attention back to me. "I need you to focus on the shield, alright. Close your eyes and think about pulling your magic back into your core. Drop the shield for me."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes, concentrating on the shield he erected. After a few minutes, the magic fell around him.

I walked forward, heaving a sigh of relief, and sat next to Harry on the bed. "You scared the crap out of Kreacher." I said smiling.

"He scared the crap out of me!" Harry said loudly, laughing slightly. I laughed a little, too, because it really was rather funny.

Looking around the room, however, I quickly wiped the smile off of my face. "Ok Harry, we are gonna start your lesson a little bit early. I need to you fix the room. Close your eyes again, and think about making the room look the way it had before. Picture the furniture in your mind, the curtains, and the bed sheets; imagine how they look and pull some of the magic from your core. Push it out _slowly_ and allow the magic to do the rest."

Harry nodded again, closing his eyes and focusing. It took him a few minutes, and he looked like he was having a bit of a time doing as I asked, but after a while, I watched the magic swirl from his body around the room, fixing it right again. The furniture stuck itself back together, looking as though it had never been broken. The sheets and bedspread mended themselves; the curtain flew back up to cover the window. Soon, the room looked as though nothing had happened.

"Well, I guess that is what our lesson needs to focus on today; control." I said seriously, looking up at Harry again.

He nodded his head, not questioning my judgment. He knew how important being able to control your magic was, and this would help him immensely when it came time to start wandless magic; which, come to think of it, he was already doing a little bit of.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I stood and grabbed Harry's hand. "Come on, kid. The coffee downstairs is calling my name."

I laughed my way down the stairs as he mumbled agitatedly about me calling him a kid.

Later that morning, after I had had three cups of coffee, a shower, and changed my clothes, Harry and I were sitting back in our room on the third floor. I had asked Ron and Sirius to sit this one out, simply because it would save Harry some of his dignity.

"Alright Harry. Due to the… incident this morning, you are obviously in need of some control of all that magic, and fast. So the next few lessons will be just that. Now, stand up." Harry and I both stood facing each other, and I backed away.

The method of teaching I was about to employ was very unethical, but it had worked for me when my mom had done it because after a while, being hit with different things makes you focus harder on the task at hand. I mean, who wanted to be dealt bruise after bruise, repeatedly?

"Harry, you are going to think I'm crazy, I know, but this works, I promise. I'm going to take these," I gestured to the pile of different sized objects to my right. "And throw them at you. Before I do, I'm going to give you an order, like throw the object in one direction or make it float. This will not only help with control, but it will also help you with wandless magic."

Picking up the first thing on the pile, a book about the size of a paperback novel, I said, "Throw it to your left."

Tossing the book across the room, Harry didn't succeed in throwing it off its path, and it hit him in the chest. He raised his hand to rub at the slight ache. I smiled.

"It's okay, Harry. You will probably miss quite a few today." I then proceeded to toss another small book at him, which he again, missed.

The rest of our lesson went much the same way and Harry was getting frustrated with his lack of progress. I had declined to throw anything heavy at him as I didn't want to hurt him. I'd known from the beginning that this wouldn't be easy. I had had new bruises daily when my mom had done this for me.

"It's okay, Harry, I swear. It took me forever to get this down. I felt like my magic wouldn't listen to me." I said softly, trying to ease Harry's tense shoulders.

Almost as though he didn't hear a word I said, he growled low in his throat and said, "Another." I almost declined, knowing that Harry couldn't take another miss, but thought of something else that might make him feel better about himself, prompting me to throw a dictionary across the room, telling him to simply stop it.

Harry missed it yet again, and he yelled out in aggravation as he was struck dangerously close to his groin area. His magic reacted like I thought it would, lashing out at the only other occupant in the room: me.

Being slammed into a wall was really not the most fun thing to do, because really, everyone just loved having the air forced out of their lungs, but I let it happen. I waited a second to catch my breath a little before panting out a command. "Harry, pull it back in. Grab ahold of your magic and reel it back into your core."

Harry looked over at me, seeing me pinned painfully to the wall and tried to do as he was told. It took him a minute, less time than it had this morning, but he succeeded in the task, officially unpinning me from the wall. I crumpled to the floor as my back spasmed.

He rushed over to me. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you; I was just so angry that I couldn't do it. I only wanted to make the book stop, not hurt you." He said softly, his eyes welling up.

I sighed softly and looked up at him. "Harry, I don't expect you to master this in a day, a week, or even a month. This _will_ take a while before you have control of all the power that you hold, honey. But today, you showed that you are gaining a little bit of control. This morning, it took you about 4 minutes to draw your magic back in. Just now, it took you less than 2." I finished with a proud smile.

"So, you are making progress, Harry. It's just a _very_ slow going process." I smiled up at him, hoping that he took my words to heart. And he didn't disappoint.

He beamed at me, albeit hesitantly, before reaching out to help me up. I groaned as my back muscles refused to unclench.

Harry's eyebrows dropped in concern and he focused again, trying to bring his magic to the surface to help me. After a minute, however, nothing happened and Harry came back to himself, looking distraught.

"I can't do it, Bella. I can't draw it out." He sounded panicked, and I quickly reassured him.

"I know you can't, honey. Not only did you just get pelted by flying objects by me, you also released a good bit of magic after said pelting. So, no, your magic is probably rejecting the idea of helping me." Harry looked confused and I elaborated. "Just because you can control and manipulate your magic, Harry, doesn't mean that it doesn't have a bit of its own mind. Basically, it isn't going to help the person that just hurt you."

While Harry still looked upset, he nodded sadly. As we began to leave the room, he reached out to help my limping ass, letting me lean on him until we got to the kitchen.

Harry looked at me. "Is there anything I can get you, at least?" He asked quietly.

I was going to say no right off, but my voice took on a mind of its own. "Coffee. Black."

We shared smile as he went into the kitchen. Training Harry was turning out to be increasingly difficult, not that I thought it would be easy. But I was beginning to wonder if I wouldn't have to call in back-up.

It turned out, though, that I wouldn't need to do that, because back-up had already showed up.

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**Well? What did you think? I know these chapters may seem like fillers because well... They kind of are, but you'll see why in a few chapters. ;) **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey! Sorry that I didn't update yesterday, but I was so tired and felt like crap that I didn't even write a chapter. Anyway, here is the next chapter. :) **

**Let me know what you think about what I've done with Edward. I didn't start writing this story with this in mind, but my muse just sorta... took over. lol. **

**I own nothing and all mistakes are my own. **

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"Bells!" I was pulled from my chair and into the big arms of Emmett, the bear of the Cullen family.

Usually, I'd have been all for his hugs, but at that moment, all I wanted was to be put down, especially when he started shaking me back and forth to get a reaction out of my dead-weight form. I groaned in pain as my back was jostled.

"Put her down. She's hurt, you big oaf." Harry commanded from behind Emmett, facing up to what was probably the biggest person he had ever seen, besides his fat family, like he was a house elf. I would have smiled in pride if my back wasn't fucking killing me.

Emmett dropped me quickly but gently and went to work inspecting me to see if Harry was telling the truth. He poked and prodded my upper half, waiting for a reaction to prove Harry correct, which he got when he got to my back, and I yelped loudly and squirmed away painfully.

Emmett narrowed his eyes and gentled his touch again. "Who the hell hurt you, Bells?" he paused in thought. "No, the better question is, how did they get away with it?"

I chuckled at his comment, knowing Emmett of all people would know what I was capable of. "I'm training Harry." I said as I looked over at said person, a smile on my face.

Emmett looked in the direction of my look and spotted Harry, his face anything but friendly. "And he did that to you, how?" Emmett asked viciously.

"Emmett, chill. God, you're like a damn guard dog." I looked at Harry again and asked him a question with my eyes to which he answered with a nod of his head. "Besides, Harry didn't mean to hurt me. We discovered the other day in our first lesson that he had a decent sized block on his magic and now, I have to teach him to control it, seeing as how he isn't used to having this much power at his disposal."

Emmett seemed to soften slightly. "Ok, I believe you. But I don't have to like the fact that you got hurt in the process." He backed off the subject then and began to inspect my back again. It was times like this that I was glad Emmett had studied as a healer, even if he did choose a different path. I lifted my shirt so he could have a better look and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Damn Bells. What the hell did he do, throw you into a wall?" I laughed outright as Emmett hit the nail on the head.

"Yes, yes he did." I smiled at Harry as he looked down at his shoes. I reached out to touch his hand, reassuring him.

Emmett took out his wand and waved it over my back, immediately making all the pain go away. I let out a relieved breath. Thank god for Emmett.

Standing up, I turned around. "Now you can give me a hug, you big bear." I threw my arms around his neck as he twirled me around, making me laugh.

Setting me back on my feet, I asked, "Where are the others?"

He smiled and said, "They are in their rooms, unpacking." He stopped and an uncomfortable expression settled over his face. "It's amazing how dreary this place is. Sirius said it's always been this way, since he was a kid. Said he cleaned out the rooms before anyone got here, just for something to do really, but said that Dumbledore mentioned something about us to him and he thought it was a good idea. Kept his plans quiet when you showed up."

I rolled my eyes skyward, not really believing that all of them were here. But I was happy that they had come to see me. I had missed them all so damn much it hurt.

Using the magic in the house to amplify my voice, I said. "Guys, get your asses down to the fucking kitchen before I have to come up there and drag you down. I do believe I still have some maiming to do…"

Instantly, the sound of feet hitting the stairs was heard and I laughed. The kitchen door was thrown open and a bouncing pixie was in my arms with her legs around my waist.

"Why, hello Alice. Friendly as ever I see." I smirked into her smiling face, bending forward to place my forehead against hers.

"Oh, Bella, I've missed you so much." She said softly. I had always had a soft spot for Alice. She was just so small and cute that I had wanted to protect her from the moment I met her; not that she couldn't protect herself. It had only increased in intensity after I had learned her and I shared a similar past, making me want to go out and murder someone for hurting someone so damn innocent. We weren't as close as me and Rose simply because Alice loved shopping and I hated it, not to mention our styles were complete opposites. If I was going to shop, I went to store that sold dark clothes and combat boots and Alice couldn't stand going in there with me.

"I've missed you too, Ace." I said with a smile. Letting her feet hit the ground, she shrank about three inches, dislodging our position. Hands gripped her waist and moved her over, causing her to squeak and me to laugh as I was pulled into the warm chest of one Jasper Whitlock.

He leaned down and rested his head in my hair, breathing in the scent, as I did the same to his neck. If Harry was my younger brother, Jasper was my big brother. He would die protecting me, and I would him. Being held by Jasper wasn't anything unusual or uncomfortable, because I trusted the man with my life.

Inhaling again, I shivered a little. I loved his cologne; I always had. It had nothing on Draco's natural smell mixed with the little bit of cologne that he did wear, but it made me feel safe when I caught a whiff of it.

Jasper and Alice had always been into technology, but while Alice like to make spells that helped technology work in the wizarding world, Jasper was always big on the military part of technology; like, the hacking computer systems. And, he loved working with guns and such. He loved anything to do with fighting: technologically, physically; you name it and he has learned how to do it. Knowing the Jasper could protect me if I was unable to do so myself made me feel comfortable around him. He was the main reason I could protect myself in the first place.

He pulled back and looked down at me warmly. "Bella, you're glowing. You've met someone; and, I do believe, that you actually like him." Oh, and did I mention he also had this strange ability to tell changes in people just by just looking at them?

I laughed at him, but nodded my head. "Damn bastard wormed his way into my heart. The jerk." I winked up at him as he chuckled before moving.

Edward moved forward then, smiling at me gently. Edward was desperately shy, though by no fault of his own, so much in fact that he didn't even talk to me for the first few months I had been going to the Cullens house. I smiled back at him and wrapped my arms around his slim shoulders, pulling his into my chest.

Not only was Edward a wizard, he was also a mix between a Dark and Light Veela, something that you didn't see very often seeing as how the two species almost always killed each other when brought together. But Edward's parents had had Edward at 16, a come occurrence in America, before they had come into their inheritance a year later. How they didn't know what they were, because the Veela gene usual ran in the family and _someone_ should have informed them, I had no clue and had never found out the answer.

Coming into their inheritances, separately though they were with his mother being older by a few months, his father had begun to feel uncomfortable around her, something instinctually telling him that something wasn't right. When he had come of age, all prior feelings had changed due to their instincts, and they had fought and killed each other that very first night, making Edward an orphan.

Because the two species of Veela were so against mating with each other, something had happened in Edward's DNA, some sort of mutation, making him almost too submissive to function on his own. While there has always been submissive Veelas, most of the time, they could take care of themselves until they found their mate; not Edward though. He always needed someone to tell him what to do, how to do it; where to go. It was sad because there were many people out there who would love to take advantage of that, some already had, and I had taken it upon myself to make sure Edward was safe until he found his mate, which I prayed to god would be soon.

He snuggled into me, his nose at my neck as I buried my face in his hair, a mix between his father's and mother's coloring. I rubbed his back gently as he cooed happily into my neck. While I was a natural submissive, and oh how strange that was, Edward was much more submissive than I, making him want to come to me for protection as well as when he needed someone to confide in.

Not to mention that he had also seen just how good I was with my knives, so he knew I could protect him, even if I scared him a little, too.

I pushed him back after a minute, looking into his forest green eyes with little flecks of blue and gold, I smiled at him. It was really a good thing he was about as tall as me, though still taller than Harry, or I wouldn't be able to hold him like I did. "How have you been, sweetheart?" I asked softly.

He smiled shyly at me and said, "I've missed you. The others' hugs aren't the same as yours." I grinned at him, running my fingers through his hair, to which he cooed again.

This was something Edward had always informed me of, something I didn't quite get. The guys, being the dominants they were, should have been able to comfort Edward better than me, but he constantly reminded me that my hugs were the best. I had a few theories as to why that may be, but I had never asked Edward why he thought so.

"I'm sorry, love. I forgot to teach them how to hug before I left. I'll remember before I go back to school, though." I teased him gently, making him blush softly, even as a small laugh escaped his throat. It was like a burst of fresh air, Edward's laugh. I didn't get to hear it often enough, but the soft sound still made my day.

I urged him to sit down in the chair I had just vacated and looked around the room. "Where are Carlisle and Esme?"

Jasper answered. "You know Carlisle's hours at the hospital are crap. He had to stay to be on call. And Esme had to show houses this week, so she couldn't come." Who the hell bought a house on Christmas? I rolled my eyes at the lunacy of people, but kept my mouth shut.

I looked over at Harry then, noticing the awkward expression on his face. I felt guilty that I had completely forgotten about him in my excitement to see these guys again.

I walked to Harry, and turned to the group. "Guys, this is Harry; my little brother." I winked at them as their eye widened, probably surprised that I would get that close to anyone but them. Oh, how shocked they would be when they saw me with Draco. "Harry, this is my pseudo-family. The tiny one is Alice, the blonde one is Jasper. The bear that attacked me earlier is Emmett, and the man in the chair is Edward. I'm sure you've met the tall blond bombshell over there, but that's Rosalie."

Harry blushed as all the eyes in the room turned to him. "Hi." He said quietly with a small wave of his hand, before looking down at his shoes again. I smiled at how cute he was around new people.

Saving Harry from further spotlight embarrassment, the door opened behind him and in walked Sirius. He smiled as he looked around the room.

"I trust everyone is comfortable, hm?" He asked the room in general, receiving a group full if nods. I turned to face him and smiled at him.

Stepping closer, I gave him an impromptu hug; it seemed like tonight I was all about the hugging, and whispered, "Thank you so much, Sirius. This means a lot to me."

He returned the hug warmly after the initial shock; squeezing my waist as a way of saying you're welcome as he smiled against the top of my head.

I released him and turned back to the room at large. "So, who wants coffee?" I said happily, laughing at the group full of nods as I made my way into the kitchen to make it. The Cullens always had been a coffee drinking family.

A half hour later, we all sat in the large living room, drinking our coffee. I couldn't help but think about all that I had been through with these people as I looked around at them. They had been with me through everything, and now, they would be with me through this, too. I was one happy girl in that moment.

The only thing that could have made it better would have been having Draco here with his arms around me.

"So Bella, you ready for our Christmas tradition?" Emmett asked, grinning broadly at me.

I looked up in shock. "You guys brought you're instruments?" I hadn't expected them to lug those damn things across the world.

"Of course we did." Jasper answered, scoffing like I had just asked the stupidest question in the world.

I scowled at him playfully. "Jerk."

He only laughed at me.

"What's your Christmas tradition?" Harry asked quietly.

I smiled happily. "On Christmas, instead of exchanging gifts, we always bring out the instruments and play songs that we didn't write. It helps me and Rose exercise our voices to songs that weren't written for us. We usually crack out the alcohol, too, but unless it's cool with Sirius, we won't this year."

"So I'll finally get to hear you sing, then?" Harry asked excitedly, making me laugh.

"Yes, little brother, you'll get to hear me sing." I smiled at him, just as excited as he was for Christmas to get here, now that I had something to look forward to.

Now if only that one most important aspect of my life was here.

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**So, let me know what you think! Pwease? :D**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! I'm sorry for not updating the last few days, and this chapter probably won't make up for it. I have come to the decision that I will update every other day instead of every day, and after this, not on the weekends... At least, I don't think so. Anyway, at the very most, expect a chapter within three days, since I can't seem to type a chapter fast enough to update it when I say I will. **

**So, here is the next installment, like I said, I'm kinda in between awesome events in the story right now, so this may seem a little like a filler chapter, but it kinda has some foreshadowing in it. ) lol. I promise, the next chapter is **_much_** more eventful. :D **

**I own nothing, and all mistakes are my own. **

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The next few days went by without any drama, something I was ridiculously glad about. With all the crap that had gone on in the last few months, I felt that I needed a break.

Harry and I did a lesson every day, still hitting heavy on the control aspect of his training. He was still not making as much progress as he wanted to be making, but he had managed to throw a few items in the last lesson. I had never seen him look so proud of himself before.

My Texan family continued to get on my nerves, as they always did. I had originally wanted to enlist their help with Harry's training, but I realized that Harry and I would be back in school before Harry was ready to move on to anything besides control practice. Although I thought that Jasper may be able to help with Harry's control, I also believed that I had it handled. That thought may change if Harry ever throws me into a wall again, but…

Waking up three days before Christmas at my usual time, I instantly wanted to lie back down and refuse to get out of bed. Almost immediately, I had got the sense that today would not be a good day. I sighed as I knew that today would be the day that my drama-free time would end. Damn it.

Forcing myself out of bed, I walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Turning the shower on hot, I stripped and stepped in, sighing as the water pounded against my back.

I didn't feel like staying in the shower long this morning, however, so I quickly washed my hair and body and got out.

Toweling my hair, I wrapped another towel around my body, not willing to let Hermione see me naked like she did the day I went to Malfoy Manor. Stepping out of the steaming room, I quickly blew the steam away before searching out my clothes.

Twenty minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom with my hair done, make-up on, and clothed. I grabbed my newest book, _How to Teach the Dark Arts_, and made my way down the stairs to make coffee.

I was so used to being the only one up this early that I quickly got settled with my coffee in the living room, cracking open my book. While I knew I would be able to teach Harry well enough, especially with Severus' help, I could always use some helpful tips on how to do it properly, so that Harry could get the best education possible. I would probably even learn a few things myself.

During my second cup of coffee, the first person awake stepped into the living room with his own cup. I hadn't heard anyone wake up, so I was mildly surprised to suddenly not be the only one in the room.

Looking up into the amber eyes of the resident werewolf, the color more pronounced with the full moon being only a week away, I smiled lightly in greeting. "Good morning, Remus. What's got you up so early this morning?" I asked.

Remus smiled tiredly in return, "I never sleep well before a transformation. And Sirius decided to-." Remus blushed brightly as he stopped midsentence, letting me know just what he was going to say, or at least right up the same alley.

I smirked. "And Sirius decided to what, Remus?" I asked innocently, purposefully causing the man to blush even deeper.

He cleared his throat roughly. "Nothing, Bella. Nothing at all."

I hummed in response, looking away even as the smirk refused to leave my face. While the two men thought they kept it hidden well, they were only fooling themselves. I wasn't a Slytherin for nothing, after all. I was meant to notice these things.

The conversation was dropped as Remus opened his own book, and sipped our coffee quietly as we quickly became immersed in our reading material.

About a half an hour later, the door opened again and Jasper walked in. He caught my eye, and I knew he could feel what I had felt that morning. Instead of saying anything, however, he simply walked to the opposite end of the couch I was sitting on and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He would occasionally come up for a drink of his coffee, but otherwise, he stayed the way he was, probably mentally preparing himself for what the day might bring.

Jasper's entrance seemed to spark a fire in the house, however unintentional it might have been, and it soon came to life with people coming down the stairs. Sighing, I closed my book, knowing I wouldn't get much read now.

I carried it with me into the kitchen and poured another cup of coffee. It really was amazing how much coffee we were using, due to almost everyone drinking at least two cups. We would need to get more soon, I was sure.

Walking into the dining room just as Molly entered the kitchen, she bumped me with her shoulder and I made the mistake of adjusting my book, accidentally flashing the cover at Molly.

She stopped in her tracks and reached out to grab my arm, making me tense and narrow my eyes. "What the bloody hell are you doing with that?" Her voice was so loud that all noise from the other room stopped, immersing the house in dead silence.

Other than my narrowed eyes, I kept my face calm. "What I'm doing with a book I own is none of your business. Now, if you would kindly let go of me."

She, however, didn't let go. "That filth needs to be removed from this house this instant. I don't want the others anywhere near it." She seemed to ignore the fact that all they had to do was go into the Black family library and they would have all the access they wanted to books on the Dark Arts.

"Well, that's just too bad, now isn't it? Because I won't be taking this anywhere but back up to my room." I said as calmly as I could, my voice as cold as my face; although she was beginning to piss me off.

She scoffed and said, "We'll just see about that," before dragging me into the dining room. I let her do it, simply because I really didn't want to fight so close to Christmas.

Letting go of me as she shoved me towards Sirius, she sneered in disgust. "Sirius, tell this little wretch that she must get rid of that book she has."

I raised an eyebrow at her 'little wretch' comment, my eyes widening, but took a deep breath and pasted a smile on my face. I watched as Sirius held out his hand for the book I was holding.

Reading the title, his eyes widened marginally before he looked up at me, a question in his eyes. When I answered in the affirmative, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He looked over at the Weasley matriarch. "Molly, I have no intention of telling Bella to throw this book out. It is something that will help Harry with his training and I have no part in that." Sirius said his voice authoritative.

Hearing his name, Harry peaked at the book and drew in a swift breath before looking at me. I offered him a small smile, to which he beamed at me. It seemed Harry had taken an interest in the Dark Arts. I wanted to smirk at that, knowing how scared people would be if they thought their 'savior' was going Dark, but really, it was just Harry showing an interest in a subject. What was so damn wrong with that?

Molly, having just caught all of what Sirius said, looked livid. "What? You're going to let her teach Harry about - about," She stopped, swallowed, and continue in a whispered hiss, as though she were afraid to say it out loud, "_The Dark Arts!_"

I rolled my eyes at her melodramatics. Really, it was none of her business and damn sure not her decision.

Sirius sighed. "Yes Molly, I am. I trust Bella's judgment and Harry made the decision to be taught this. It is not my place to refuse what will only help keep him alive."

I watched as Harry's eyes narrowed at the turn the conversation had taken. While he seemed okay with what Sirius said, Molly was beginning to irritate him.

And the next thing out of her mouth called it for him.

Molly's face turned red. "How could you possibly let this girl teach him such evil? You ran from your own home to get away from it, now you're letting it walk right back in? And you call yourself a good guardian. I should have tried to take Harry from you long ago, Sirius Black. You are obviously not sane enough to take proper care of him, so I will do it for you." She turned to me and made a grab at my book. "Harry will not be learning this… atrocious magic. Give me that book."

I opened my mouth to tell her off, or maybe just to warn her that I was going to show her one of the many 'atrocious magic' spells that I knew if she didn't back off. But a small hand flashed out and caught the book before Molly could get her grubby paws on it.

I looked over at the owner of the hand and backed away a bit from the astonishing amount of fury in my little brother's eyes. "No, Molly, you won't be doing anything for Sirius. You won't be taking this book from Bella, and you _won't_ be telling me what to do. I'm so sick and tired of everyone thinking they can control _my _life, make _my _decisions for me, without actually even telling me about it first.

"No one will be telling me what I can and can't do anymore. It's about damn time I stand up for myself, and take my life back into my hands." Harry stopped and softened his voice a bit, though there was still the edge of fierce determination in his tone. "You aren't my mother, Molly, and while I'm grateful for all that you've done for me, I won't let you boss me around like I'm your child.

"Bella was right. You are a control freak that can't take not having a say in every little thing that goes on around you, and I'm sick of it. From this point on, the only thing I want to hear come out of your mouth is encouragement of my choices, or nothing at all." Harry finished, staring directly into Molly's eyes.

I was, for once, speechless. Harry had just stood up to the only mother figure he had ever had like she was nothing more than a schoolyard bully. All I could do was stare at Harry in awe as he exuded power like never before, his head held high, shoulders back and eyes determined.

Molly seemed to realize that she wouldn't win this one, not and keep in Harry's good graces, and said nothing more. She just nodded her head, pressed her lips together tightly, and released the book I hadn't even known she was still holding.

The room was deadly quiet as Molly turned back to the kitchen, though not before she glared at me with hate-filled eyes. As soon as the kitchen door swung shut, I moved forward to Harry.

I put my arms around his neck and hugged tightly. "I'm so damn proud of you that I can't even think of the right words, Harry. That was amazing." I whispered softly in his ear.

I felt him smile against my neck. "Thank you." He whispered back before pulling away and walking over to his godfather, who proceeded to pull Harry into a tight hug.

I guess Harry finally standing up for what he wanted was a big deal and didn't happen very often with the people he cared about. He always had seemed like the person who wanted the least conflict between the people he loved. The people he didn't give a fuck about however… they were a different matter altogether.

The twins, having the personalities they did, trying to break the silence that still hung over the full room, said, "Harry gets to learn Dark Magic?"

"Where can we sign up?"

"Yeah, Harry shouldn't get-."

"To have all of the fun." The second twin finished, making me laugh a little as I thought of what Molly would say to her own children wanting to learn the Dark Arts. It would be a moment that I would pay to see, that was for sure. Everyone seemed to relax a bit at this, some even chuckled.

I didn't reply to the twins as I looked around the room for the first time since I entered, I realized just how many people were here, all going from wide eyed and awed to resuming their earlier activities. All but one, that is.

My eyes locked on Edward, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, shaking; forgotten. I hadn't even realized he was in the room, and that Edward absolutely hated conflict of any sort completely slipped my mind, making me immediately feel guilty.

I made my way toward him and knelt in front of him, grabbing his hands. They were balled up into such tight fists that he was leaving marks where his nails were digging into his soft skin. He refused to look up from his lap.

"Edward, honey; look at me. Please." I said softly, not wanting to scare him even more.

He shook his head gently, his hair swishing softly. "Please, no more yelling. I didn't do anything wrong, I swear." He whispered, raising his head enough to look me in the eyes.

"No baby, no more yelling, I promise. And you're not in trouble; you haven't done a thing wrong. I'm so sorry that we scared you." I said softly, drawing him forward and into my arms, holding tightly.

He returned my hug hesitantly, still not fully believing he wasn't in trouble. Sometimes, it was difficult looking after Edward. He didn't like loud noises; he didn't like doing things by himself because he was terrified of doing something wrong; he constantly assumed that at the slightest raised voice, he was in trouble, making me wonder just what the people in the orphanage had done to the poor boy before Carlisle and Esme took him in.

I didn't know what could have possibly blended so wrongly in his genes to make him _this_ submissive, but whatever it was; Fate was a cruel bitch for making it happen. I could only hope Edward's mate would handle him with all the love and care Edward needed. Maybe, having a mate will make Edward be able to stand up for himself as well, at least a little bit.

I sighed inaudibly, still hugging the mixed Veela in my arms; so much shit had happened and it wasn't even ten o'clock yet.

I could only hope that the day didn't get any worse.

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**So? What did you think? Has anyone else realized that I really can't stand Molly? Like, not in the least bit. She is hardly even mentioned in my other stories... I probably should have warned about Molly-bashing, but I didn't realize it would be this bad until now. :/ lol. So... Leave a review in this new comment box they have down below the chapter (Not sure how I feel about that box, either.)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys... So, I know it's been a few days, but the last couple of days have been really busy, and... Ok, I'm just gonna skip to the apologies... I'm sooooooo sorry. I'm a horrible person, I know. But here is the next update. I really, really, _really, _hope this chapter makes up for my absence. **

**I'm really proud of this chapter, anyway, so I hope you like it. :DD**

**I own nothing and all mistakes are my own. **

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I didn't eat breakfast that morning, not hungry after what happened; and I wasn't sure Molly wouldn't try to poison me.

Instead, I returned to the living room and opened my book again, resuming where I had left off. I wanted another cup of coffee, but I knew that if I went into the kitchen, I wouldn't hold my tongue like I had earlier, and I would prefer not to start anything else so early in the morning.

I read for another couple of hours before I was interrupted. "Bella, did you want to skip the lesson today, or…?" Harry said as he stepped away from the door and into the room.

I closed my book and shook my head. "No, I think we'll go ahead with our lesson." He nodded. I got up from the couch and followed him up to our room.

Two hours later, a very agitated Harry Potter threw the door open so hard that it slammed into the wall, the noise reverberating around the entirety of the third floor. I stepped out of the room after him, watching as he stalked down the hall to the stairs.

"Harry, hold on a minute." I said in exasperation, jogging to catch up with him. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs without turning around.

"I don't want to hear your reassurance right now, alright? I just want to be left alone." Harry growled, not at all happy about today's happenings.

"Well, that's just too damn bad, huh? Because I'm not gonna reassure you, I'm gonna educate you and you're gonna listen to what I have to say before you go off and brood." I replied my voice firm.

He glared at me, opening his mouth to reply, but he paused. His mouth closed with a snap and he thunked himself down on the stairs. "Talk, then."

I settled down beside him. "Harry, you gotta chill, darlin'. I promise you, what happened today _is_ normal. You're in the very beginning stages of controlling your magic. Before, you weren't taught control; you were taught how to direct it through a wand with an intention behind it and control came with that. Now, you're being taught how to wield the magic with an intention, but without anything to direct it through.

"Magic is willful, Harry. It may not seem that way, but I swear to you that magic doesn't always want to do what it's told. You're just learning how to direct that magic Harry, and not only that; it's magic that's been locked away for _years_, with no one using it. It probably isn't too happy with you right now –and don't look at me like that, magic is very much its own thing, not something that we own or control. It might not understand, but it can pick and choose who it wants to follow orders from.

"The magic in you doesn't understand why it's been locked away, just that it had and it didn't like it. So, it's rebelling. It isn't cooperating with you, simply because it's pissed –again, don't look at me like that.

"But do you see now, that just because you're magic isn't doing what you say that it isn't the end of the world? It will eventually cooperate, but right now isn't the time. It will take time for you to fully familiarize yourself with the magic that you haven't had knowledge of and for it to trust you enough to follow your command.

"Magic does what it wants, love. It will only do what we want it to do if we don't abuse what we've been blessed with." I finished softly, hoping to god that Harry finally got what I was saying when I said that magic was its own, not anyone else's.

Harry sat there for a minute, thinking over what I had said, before sighing in resignation. "I just… Damn it, I just want to be able to control this, you know? If I have to fight, I can't exactly do that if I can't control my magic."

I shook my head at him, my eyes widening a fraction as I caught the real stress behind what Harry was saying. He was worried that if he couldn't control his magic, then he couldn't fight if he as needed; still, after everything, he was doing what everyone else expected from him, not what he wanted to do. "Harry, stop worrying about fighting and start worrying about you. Worry about what you want, not what everyone expects of you. I know you want to protect your friends, but you should also want to control this for yourself, not just for fighting purposes." I said softly.

Harry looked up at me sadly. "Why does it always feel like that is all that I do anything for anymore? It feels like I only breathe to fight Voldemort, not to be a person. It isn't fair, Bells."

Harry began to sob softly as a tear streaked down his face. I pulled him into my arms and held him, not saying anything. I rocked him soothingly back and forth as I thought about what he had just said.

All Harry had ever done in his time at Hogwarts was protect people. He had always taken it upon himself to stop whatever it was that was going on in the school because he had always had a hero complex. Now, though, as the war steadily grew, Harry was constantly pushed to do more for the war effort, urged to learn things so that he could defeat Voldemort.

While that was all well and good, did they all seem to forget that Harry was a person? He had feelings, wants, dreams; not all of his thoughts revolved around Voldemort and this damn war. He was still a teenager, damn it. He hadn't had the chance to be a kid years ago, and it seemed he couldn't be a teen now. It made me so angry sometimes that I almost couldn't control myself.

It made me realize that was almost the whole reason why we had started this training, although it wasn't that completely. That was why I had asked Harry first, so he wouldn't just think that this was another thing he's have to do for the war. I wanted him to want to do this for himself, want to learn these things. He knew he needed to learn them, but wanting and needing are two different things.

Harry slowly calmed down, sniffling and pulling back away from my chest. "Thank you." He said softly, his voice rough from the tears.

I smiled at him, kissing his forehead. I would make it so that all of this wasn't just about the war; he would have a life outside of all of that.

We got up from the steps and Harry turned down the hall and to his room. I continued down the stairs to the kitchen; I really needed another cup of coffee.

Later that night, those who had stayed –the youngest boys of the Weasley brood, Harry, me, Hermione, and Sirius and Remus, plus my Texan Family –were all sitting in the living room drinking coffee and the like. We were all talking amongst ourselves, winding down from a day that had started off shitty and hadn't gotten any better for any of us.

I had just set my mug down on the table beside me when there was a loud pop heard around the room. People were up with their wands out and pointed towards the source of the noise as I stood and went for my knife in my boot.

I stopped dead as the sight before sank into my brain.

There, lying on the floor that was slowly being covered in blood, was Draco Malfoy. His father was leaning over him, sobbing.

"Please, please help him. Dear god, please." I had never thought that I would ever hear Lucius Malfoy beg before, but at the sound, I was around the couch and dropping to my knees before anyone could stop me.

"What happened?" I heard myself ask. My mind had completely shut down at the sight of Draco. I didn't know what to do, other than that I wanted to push that stray lock of blonde hair out of his face. Emmett seemed to see that I was incapable of doing anything, and rushed over to begin checking Draco over.

I hardly heard as Lucius began whispering. "I've been a spy for the Light for quite some time now, and Narcissa, she overheard me talking to Severus about it one night about a year ago. I had been careless and had forgotten to put up a silencing charm, thinking she had already gone to bed…" Lucius broke off on a sob as he gently touched his son's forehead.

"She blackmailed me into giving her whatever she wanted. She tried to get me to give her Draco, but I refused; said I'd kill her first. She relented but has held it over my head ever since.

"After the other night, she… she decided to get revenge. She told the Dark Lord that I was a spy and as punishment, he…" He stopped again, and simply waved a hand at Draco's blood soaked body.

"I'd been given a portkey to use for emergencies that would bring me here, but I was held back. I couldn't get to him fast enough…" Lucius' voice had taken on a hollowed quality, his eyes glazing over as he went into shock.

I looked away from him and over to Emmett. "Em, he's going into shock." Emmett cursed and turned to Lucius to take care of him.

I didn't take my eyes off of Draco as Emmett began to tell me what was wrong. "He's got numerous broken bones, so many I don't have time to list them all; internal bleeding, his face looks as though it's been stomped on. He was held under the Cruciatus curse for an unknown amount of time and if we don't get him to the hospital now, he might not make it."

Emmett's last words knocked me back into myself as I snapped my gaze up to him. "He _will not_ be dying tonight, Emmett." My voice was cold and firm as I spoke, my gaze vicious.

"Bella, we won't be able to get him to a hospital without doing further damage and it will take too long for a healer to get here. I mean, I will do what I can, but I don't know just what they have here…" He trailed off as my eyes left him and returned to Draco.

As I looked into Draco bruised face, his nose smashed, cheek bones crushed, my mind went back to what I had said to Rose the other day.

"_I love him, Rose. I truly, one hundred percent, love him."_

In a sudden moment of clarity, my mind went back to something I had read in a book that my mom had given me.

My head snapped up to Emmett again. "I can help him."

Emmett looked at me strangely. "How the hell do you think you can do that?"

"I read once that magic that is compatible with that of another's can heal extensive injuries. Our magic is more than compatible, Em. I _can_ do this." I was determined to save this boy, to save the one that I loved more than life.

Emmett still looked hesitant. "Bella, this will drain your magical core. Even with the amount you have, you shouldn't do it alone."

I shook my head. "No, Emmett, it will only make him more uncomfortable to have an incompatible person's magic in him. I don't care what it does to me, I know you'll take care of me afterwards, but I have to save him." I whispered pleadingly as my eyes filled with tears.

Looking back at my Draco, I knew we didn't have much time left before I lost him forever. His chest was barely moving as he struggled to breathe and it would only be a matter of time before he stopped all together.

Turning back to Emmett, I saw that he has seen my expression. "Ok, Bells. I'll take care of you when it's over." He said softly, resignedly, returning to tend to Lucius who was pretty bad off now that I look at him, scratches littering his face and neck.

Shaking my head, I turned back to Draco. Pressing my hand gently to Draco chest I whispered the spell to wake him up, knowing it wouldn't be easy to keep him conscious, but it was necessary.

Draco whimpered gently, probably thinking more pain was coming, but he had to look me in the eyes for this to be successful.

"Dray?" I asked softly, tears in my eyes.

His own bruised eyes opened, revealing that he had burst a blood vessel in his right eye, making me let out a sob.

"Bella? Oh God, Bella…" He began to cry softly as he realized he was safe and with me.

"Shh, baby, it's okay. I'm gonna take care of you, alright? I'll make it better, I swear." I bent down to kiss him softly, his lips responding even through the pain. I was too terrified to think on why he would do that, because I had to keep telling myself he would make it through this.

"Dray, I'm not going to lie, this is going to hurt. I'm going to heal you, baby, so you have to look at me, have to keep eye contact, okay?" I didn't need his nod for me to know that he understood.

I got on my knees at his side and looked into his pained gaze, his stare meeting mine trustingly. I smiled shakily at him, tears streaking down my cheeks even as I tried to stifle my sobs.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I gathered my magic and pushed into his body.

My magic went to work immediately, melding with Draco's to work together on his broken body. I wished I had had the time to bask in the warm feeling I got being wrapped so intimately around Draco, the man my magic had picked for me, but I knew that I would have that chance at a later date; preferably when he wasn't on the verge of death.

I focused all of my power and energy on healing this beautiful man at my side, feeling my body drain quickly but not really caring. I had to make sure everything was fixed before I allowed myself to crash. I was vaguely aware of the sound of Draco's bones snapping into place and his soft cries at each snap. I wished I could make the pain not so excruciating, but I didn't want to push the time limit we had.

I didn't know how long it took for all of Draco's injuries to fully right themselves, all I knew was that I was going to pass out the moment I allowed my magic to unwind from Draco's, the only thing keeping me up at the moment. With all of my magic in Draco's body, speeding up the healing process, there was none left for me to use to sustain myself. Being a witch, I needed magic in my system, of everything in me was weaker that any muggle. The little that I did keep wasn't nearly enough and it was taking its toll on me.

Finally, Draco was fully healed, his magic gently releasing mine after giving it what felt like a loving hug. As soon as my magic was released, it disappeared, and the world went dark, my body falling to the side of Draco's body.

My only hope was that Draco was okay.

* * *

**So...? What did you think? Worth the wait? Not worth the wait? What are you thinking! Tell me, tell me, tell me! lol. Finally, Draco is back. :D lol. Tell me what you thought. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	26. Chapter 26

**I'm a horrible, terrible person and all I can say is that I'm sorry. The chapter I'm working on now is KILLING ME! I don't know how to work in what I want it to say but I think I may have it down now... Aside from that, I was also working on another oneshot that got away from me and now, I'm not sure I like it... Either way, these are not good excuses, but I hope you all don't hate me and enjoy this chapter. It was definitely one of my favorites to write. :)**

**I own nothing and all mistakes are my own. :/ **

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I was dreaming; I knew I was. But it felt so real, and so damn good, that I didn't want to wake up.

Draco was laying with me… somewhere. I didn't know where we were, just that we were somewhere warm, lying on silk sheets on a massive bed with the fire glowing in the background being the only light in the room. We were naked and I wasn't bothered by my scars, because Draco was looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing in the world.

I was lying facing him, his arms around me, holding me close. We were looking into each other's eyes, not saying anything because nothing needed to be said. I reached my hand up to his face, gently tracing the soft skin under his eyes, the bridge of his nose; his lips with the very tips of my fingers. His eyes were closed and he had a soft smile on his face.

My hand moved to cup his cheek and his eyes opened to look into mine. His head slowly came forward until his petal soft lips brushed mine ever so gently. I felt like I was in heaven.

Just as Draco's hands were traveling farther down my body, fingers feathering over my scars and tattoos, the edges of my vision began to darken, pulling me away from the wonderful dream.

My eyes opened blearily before snapping shut at the bright light that assaulted them cruelly. I groaned softly as my head pounded.

The light that was still torturing me through my eyelids suddenly disappeared. I warily opened my eyes again to almost darkness and a bear like shape hovering over my bed.

"Emmett?" I said my voice rough from not being used for… Wait, how long hasn't it been used?

"Shh, you're still recovering. Don't strain yourself." He said softly. His hand moved to gently push my hair from my face, which I needed to cut soon now that I saw it, and reached over to grab a potion vial off of the side table.

At my curious look, Emmett explained. "Core stabilizer. It'll help boost your magic back up to normal levels faster."

Before that, I hadn't remembered what had happened, my mind not in working order just yet, but as Emmett spoke of my magic, memories slammed into me.

Emmett seemed to see my epiphany, for he said, "Drink this, Bella. No complaints or I'll tie you to this bed."

Even as the panic in me began to grow, I downed the potion quickly and tried to sit up. Emmett began to push me back down, but I growled and shoved his arms away. "Draco… I have to see Draco. I have to see that he's okay."

I began to cry softly as I tried to move from the bed, ignore the tiredness in my body. I caught myself on the side table as I stumbled when my feet hit the ground, but I didn't let it deter me.

"Bella, Bella please. Relax, honey. I'll take you to him right now, just calm down or I'll have to put you back to sleep. I can't have you up out of bed, traipsing around the house. You don't even know where he is." Emmett pulled me gently into his arms, holding my weak body easily as I tried to push away from him.

"Please, Em. Please, you have to take me to him. Please." I begged in a whimper. I was working myself up over nothing, I knew, but I wouldn't calm down until I was with him, until I could see with my own eyes that he was alive and well. I had begun sobbing at this point, desperate to get to him.

I was being irrational and I didn't give a fuck, just as long as it got me where I needed to be; wrapped around Draco.

"Alright, sweetheart, alright. He's downstairs in the dining room with the others. He woke up a few hours ago, feeling perfectly healthy. I'll take you to him, just please calm down." Emmett's voice was soothing as he spoke to me, rubbing my back to calm my racing heart. I knew it wasn't healthy for me to get this worked up with my magic so low. If I were to fall at the moment, I was sure I'd break at least three bones and probably knock myself out, but in my desperation to see Draco, I couldn't find it in me to care.

I stopped sobbing, though the tears still came as I sniffled, as Emmett slowly led me down the stairs and into the dining room.

My eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for the blonde hair. When I found it, I couldn't hold in the sob.

Draco was sitting in the far corner of the room, sipping a cup of coffee and ignoring the other occupants of the room. At my sob, his eyes flashed up to mine. Seeing the state I was in, he set down his cup and was in front of me in seconds.

I shook Emmett's hold off of me and stumbled into Draco's arms, releasing all of the pent up emotions that I hadn't been able to let go of last night. Draco lifted me into his arms and carried me back across the room, probably already guessing that I wouldn't be allowed out of Emmett's sight just yet. As he sat down in his chair, he whispered soft words to me.

"Shh, love. Everything's alright, I'm fine. I'm safe; no one's going to hurt me. Hush, sweetheart. It's okay…" His hands were gently as they rubbed my back, though no less desperate. He seemed just as concerned with reassuring himself of my safety as I was his.

It went on this way for an unknown amount of time as I lifted my head up from his chest and kissed everywhere I could reach; his lips, his cheeks, his neck. My hands mapped the upper half of his body as I murmured fragmented sentences at him through my panicked tears.

"I was so scared… Oh God, I thought I was gonna lose you… Please, please don't do that to me again, please…" I whimpered at him, ending in a desperate sob, before claiming his lips with my own again. We ignored the rest of the room, even though I hadn't heard anything from anyone since I had entered the room.

The kiss was desperate, my lips shaky as I tried to assure that he was really okay, that his heart was beating at the same time as mine; that he was _breathing._ As he continued to kiss me, I calmed down slowly, my hands burying themselves in his hair. Draco's own hands were pressing against my back, careful to keep the force to a minimum, knowing that I was at my weakest; physically, emotionally, and mentally. He was holding me to him tightly as his tongue gently licked at my bottom lip.

After a while, Draco pulled back to breathe, but he rested his forehead against mine, keeping me as close to him as he could. I looked at him to see that he was crying, too, his cheeks wet with tears even as a few more slipped from the corners of his eyes.

He began to whisper to me again. "I thought I was gone, Bella. I thought I would never see you again, that I would never see your smile or feel you in my arms again. All I could think about was you, wanting to get back to you, to live for you.

"I kept passing out and they would wake me back up. They made father watch as they beat me; I was scared that they would-." he stopped, but I knew what he meant. He was afraid they would have raped him, and they probably would have had Lucius not gotten them out when he did. I wanted to stop him, but I knew he needed to get this out, so I stayed quiet as I cried.

His breath caught as he continued. "I just kept picturing your face in my mind, and I knew that I had to live for you, at the very least. Knowing that I made it, that _you_ saved my life… Gods, I've never been so damn relieved before. There at the end I was sure I wouldn't make it, but you…" He looked into my eyes then, showing me all that he was feeling.

He laughed through his tears and said, "I thought I was going to die without getting the chance to say I love you. I love you so much, Bella. I love you…" He kissed me again, the both of still crying, though now for different reasons.

Now that I was sure Draco was okay, that he wasn't in danger anymore, I wasn't as desperate to touch him, though I continued to do so. While this kiss didn't progress any further than a gentle loving kiss, it held such meaning that it didn't have to.

Pulling back, I whispered, "God, I love you too. I never thought I'd fall in love until I met you. I love you so much, Dray." Not caring just how prominent my accent was, I placed another kiss on his lips, before moving my kisses across his cheek to his ear, where I pressed my face into his neck and wrapped my arms around him as best I could with as weak as I was.

His hand traveled up to the back of my neck to keep me hidden from view as he laid soft kisses to the exposed part of my throat.

It was almost better than my dream, knowing for sure that he loved me. I kissed the skin that my lips were closest to.

The moment seemed to drag on until a throat was cleared on the opposite end of the room, reminding the both of us that we weren't alone.

At the moment, however, I didn't give a fuck that I looked like shit, that I had just sobbed in front of a shit load of people, or that I had just admitted my love for Draco before said people. All I cared about was that Draco was safe in my arms, and that he loved me just as much as I loved him. That was all that mattered.

Though, I would like to know what happened after I passed out.

Turning from my resting spot to the other people in the room, I sniffled. "Hey y'all. How's is goin'?"

Rose was the first to react, laughing at my nonchalant greeting after what had just transpired. I smirked a little at her, but my eyes being swollen from all of the crying and my muscles too tired to move the way they should didn't make for a very good smirk.

She replied. "Hey Bells. I believe we're all feeling pretty awkward."

I shrugged weakly. "Oh well. Should have left the fuckin' room, huh?" I couldn't be bothered with trying to hide my accent at the moment, or keep my vulgarity to a minimum, too comfortable in Draco's embrace and tired from last night and my previous cry-fest to mind much.

And I thought Draco might like it if the slight bulge under my ass was anything to go by.

I turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, and he shrugged, smirking, before leaning forward to kiss me softly.

I sighed in content and leaned back against Draco's solid chest, looking over at the people before me.

"So, what happened last night? After my lights went out, that is." I looked around the room at the people who had been there, but it was, presumably, Emmett that answered.

"After you got Draco stabilized, and you passed out, you and he were taken to your rooms. Draco seemed to be just sleeping it off, but you were a different matter.

"We fire called Snape," he nodded towards the darkly dressed man in the darkest corner of the room, who I just realized was eyeing me with concern in his dark gaze. "And had him bring a pain reliever, core stabilizer, and sleeping draught. I gave you the pain reliever and sleeping draught while you were unconscious, but had to wait until this morning to give you the stabilizer; the person taking it has to be aware that they are taking it, because if it isn't needed, it had been known to kill a person as a way for your magic to protect you." I just nodded, knowing that the core stabilizer was one potion that I would never quite understand.

I turned to the others, searching for Lucius, whom I found quickly. "And you? You're okay?" I asked gently, my eyes softening in understanding. This man had endured the worst pain a parent can feel; to be forced to watch helplessly as your child is tortured, perhaps even killed, is excruciatingly painful.

Lucius smiled softly back at me. "Yes, Bella, I'm alright. I must thank you for what you did. You know as well as I that it could have killed you, yet you did it anyway. I will never be able to truly expression my gratitude."

I smiled, but shook my head. "No thanks needed, Lucius." I turned to face Draco, my hand reaching up to cup his cheek. Draco nuzzled into my hand. "I never would have let him die. No matter what the consequences." I said softly, my eyes full of the love that I felt for this beautiful man.

I turned back to Lucius and smiled at him, to which he flashed me one of his own as he nodded his head. No other words were spoken between us.

I huffed out a breath and said, "I do believe… that I'll have a cup of coffee before going back to bed." I made to get up and get my cup, but Harry beat me to it, glaring at me.

"Don't you dare get up. I'll get it." He scoffed at me, walking into the kitchen, muttering about stupid Slytherin. I just laughed at his back.

Twenty minutes later, I was done with my coffee and could hardly hold my head up. Turning tired eyes to Draco, I asked, "Come lay with me?"

His only response was to pick me up and carry me upstairs as I waved goodbye over his shoulder. Through my tiredness, I smiled mischievously at Rose, causing her to laugh as the door swung closed behind us.

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**So? Did you like it, hate it, want to throw rotting food at me for it? Tell me what you thought, please. ^.^ Like I said, I loved writing this chapter because it was really my first lovey-dovey chapter for this story... Pretty much, any way; though fair warning, there will be many more to come. :D Is anyone else as excited about that as me! lol**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey! So, I have come to the decision that I will be writing chapters in bulk. This means that, while my updates will (hopefully) stay regular, (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), after i have the story completed, which I don't know when that will be, I will update every day again. I have a goal to finish this story by the end of July. So, I will inform you of those changes when they happen. :)**

**Now, this chapter, and a few after I think, besides Christmas, are not my best. I feel like they drag on with a bunch of useless crap. I don't know if you all agree, but I will promise that it won't stay that way forever. I am about to hit the climax of the story and I am SO. DAMN. EXCITED! lol. Anyway, I will stop boring you now and let you get on with it. :)**

**I own nothing and all mistakes are my own. **

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I opened my eyes blearily, not understanding just yet why I was so warm. So, instead of questioning it, I nuzzled back into the warmth, sighing in content.

It wasn't until my warm pillow chuckled at me that I realized I wasn't alone.

My eyes snapped open and I looked up into amused silver eyes. "What are you laughing at?" I asked in mock-annoyance, groggily glaring at him. I couldn't really be annoyed at Draco for laughing at me; his laughter was too good on the ears.

His hand reached up to push long gentle fingers through my slightly tangled hair. "I do believe it's quite obvious. I'm laughing at you. You're so damn cute when you wake up in the morning." His voice was soft, even as his usual condescension leaked in.

I leaned up on my elbows and smacked lightly at his chest. "How dare you laugh at me in all my morning breath glory." I said, faking my offense.

I got up and straddled his hips, placing my hands on his naked chest. The –day? Or was it night- before, he had stripped down to his silken black boxers and slipped in next to me. I had a hell of a time keeping my hands and other parts of me to myself. Really, he hid an amazing body under all of those heavy robes.

Looking at him, I wished I was prepared to take that last step with Draco, like I had hinted to Rose last night.

I leaned down in an attempt to kiss him, but he turned his head away with a mildly disgusted look on his face. "You weren't kidding about the morning breath, were you?"

My mouth popped open, my eyes widening before I began to laugh. "Oh, you're _so_ going to pay for that comment." Leaning down again, I began to place wet kisses all over his face.

He turned his head away from roughly, back and forth, trying to get away from me. "Bella! Stop it. Please, go brush your teeth, first!" While his face and voice were disgusted, he was laughing, completely negating his complaints.

I pulled back just enough to say, "No! Not until you apologize!" I laughed as I continued to place opened mouth kisses on his neck and face, moving down to his collar bones.

Before I could react, I was flipped onto my back with a very much half-naked Draco Malfoy straddling my waist. He leaned down until his mouth was centimeters from my ear. "I'm sorry…" He paused for a moment. "That you have horrid breath in the morning."

I laughed again, pushing at his naked chest. "Get off of me, you jerk!" I said as I continued to laugh.

In response, Draco laughed back at me and grabbed his wand from off of the side table, muttering a cleaning charm. I felt my mouth lose its morning fuzziness only to be replaced by the taste of mint. Putting his wand back on the table, he leaned down until our chests were pressed together.

"Now… Now, I can kiss you." He whispered against my lips. I eagerly nodded my head as he kissed me, my arms coming up around his neck. I sighed into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, my eyes slipping closed.

Nothing mattered anymore as Draco slipped his tongue into my mouth. I was in heaven, basking in the warmth that surrounded my heart as the man I loved kissed me like I was the only thing left in the world.

My arms moved to wrap around Draco shoulders, my hands rubbing at his back. I gently scratched over the smooth skin, making a moan escape from the man above me. I smiled. _I_ had produced that sound.

Draco pulled back a few moments later, his forehead resting against mine as we tried to settle our breathing. I smiled up at him softly, sighing at the answering smile I received.

"I love you." I breathed, leaning up to kiss him again.

His responding 'I love you, too' was slightly muffled as I refused to relinquish my claim on his lips enough for him to actually say it. He chuckled at me as I breathed out through my nose, my fingers nestling themselves into Draco's soft blonde locks.

He, again, pulled back first, laughing softly at my scrunched eyebrows and pouting bottom lip. He leaned down to suck softly on said bottom lip, but pulled back when I tried to deepen the kiss again.

"We need to get up, love. I'm sure that soon your little Gryffindork friends will be in here, asking if I've killed you in your sleep." Draco said softly, kissing my forehead, before he got off of me, taking his beautiful body across the room to his clothes. All I could do was stare at his back and ass, wishing I could pull him back in bed and actually do all of the things that were going through my mind at that moment.

He turned around and smirked as he caught me staring. "Well, at least I know you like what you see." He said as he slipped his shirt up over his broad shoulders, buttoning up the offending piece of material.

Before I even realized I had said it, I replied in a soft dreamy tone, "Oh baby, I _love_ what I see." I blushed at my own words, before scowling. Damn this man for turning me into a horny teenage girl.

Draco just laughed softly, not responding as he pulled his pants up his pale muscled legs. Buttoning them, he looked back up at me.

"Are you going to sit there and gawk at me all day, or did you plan on getting up at some point? You've been asleep an awfully long time already." He questioned with a smirk, making me blush and scowl again.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What do you mean? How long was I asleep?" I couldn't have slept that long… it wasn't possible for me to sleep any longer than 6 maybe 7 hours.

He smiled softly. "You've been out for a good 20 hours or so. Your magical core was drained almost completely, Bella. You didn't really expect to just bounce back from that, did you?" He sounded guilty as he spoke, and he seemed to realize he had as I sighed.

"Draco…" He held his hand up to stop me.

"No, I know. Nothing to feel guilty for, I get it. Anyway, you really should get up. Unless, of course, you want to stay in bed…" He smirked leeringly.

I blushed and scowled as flung the covers off of my body, slipping out of the bed in a pair of soft pajama bottoms and baggy t-shirt. I padded barefoot over to the sexiness that was Draco and pushed at his chest.

"Get out. Out, out, out!" I laughed as he put his hands up in surrender and turned towards the door, laughing his way out of the room.

Closing the door, I leaned against it. Damn that boy for changing everything that I was. As I walked to the bathroom, I ignored the little voice in the back of my mind that said that maybe the changes weren't all that terrible.

Forty five minutes later, I was heading downstairs to the kitchen for coffee. The thought that I had slept for so long hadn't really sunk in until I walked into the dining room.

"Well, well, well, the demon has finally awoken." I turned to glare at Jasper, sticking my tongue out at him as I settled into the chair next to Draco's, sipping my coffee.

"Bite me, dick head." I replied, voice full of fake malice. I loved fighting with Jasper. It never failed to make me smile as we traded insults, trying to best each other in creativity.

He scoffed. "Is that all you've got? Man, Bella, you're getting rusty; you little crack whore, you." He said with a smirk.

I opened my mouth to retort, but Harry walking into the room interrupted me. "Bella? Are we going to train today?" The tone of his voice was almost begging me to tell him no, and as it went, my magic wasn't nearly up to its normal level yet, despite my excessively long nap.

I sighed in resignation, knowing that I would have to wait a few more days before Harry and I could get back to our lessons. "No, Harry, no lesson today, or any for the next four days or so. But, before you get excited, I am giving you homework." I smirked as his face fell.

"Don't worry; it isn't an essay or anything. You've been meditating like I asked, yes?" At his nod, I continued. "Well then, I want you to go to the library upstairs and get the books that are in the bottom drawer of the desk, and read them before we go back to Hogwarts. The time limit is simply because I doubt anyone would be happy if you brought this type of reading material into the castle." As this, Harry seemed to realize that the books must have something to do with the Dark Arts and nodded his head in understanding.

"Is that it, then?" Harry asked, looking back at the door and probably thinking about a certain Weasley who I know was behind it.

I smirked again, knowing that no one would see them for a few hours. "Yes, Harry, that's it. You can go have fun now. Have a good Christmas Eve." I winked at him as he blushed brightly, making me chuckle.

He left the room in a hurry, avoiding all of the amused eyes of the room. I turned back to Jasper. "And no, you cock suckin' slut, I am not getting rusty. I just wanted to spare these poor people from your potty mouth. Fuckin' dirty cunt." I said with a smirk, sipping my coffee again.

"Please, you are the potty mouth in this room, you fuckin' muff diver. You just don't want these people knowin' the real you." Jasper replied, his southern drawl making his words seem less harsh –probably what he was aiming for.

"Ass muncher." I said.

"Slutbag."

"Cunt face."

"Ball sucking transvestite."

"Herpes infested cum bubble."

The insults continued back and forth, our voices rising at each one thrown across the table. Sometimes, one of us would stop and laugh at the other's creativity before tossing out another one. It reminded me of old times and I couldn't contain the smile on my face.

Eventually, we grew tired of insulting each other and I got up to get my second cup of coffee. Coming back to the table, I met Draco's amused gaze.

"What is that look for?" I asked as I sat down next to him, slipping my hand into his before I even realized I had done it.

He chuckled. "Herpes infested cum bubble?" He asked with a hint of incredulity even as his face scrunched up in disgust, his pronunciation of the words making it clear he really didn't want to say them aloud.

I laughed at him. "Out of all the things I said, you chose that one to question me on? Man, I thought for sure 'blue waffle eater' would have caught your interest first."

His eyebrows drew together as he thought for a moment. "What is that anyway? 'Blue waffle', that is."

I couldn't stop the laughter from flowing out of my throat at Draco's adorable innocence. However, I refused to explain just what a blue waffle was, and said as much.

Ignoring Draco's affronted face, I turned back to Jasper with a smirk. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Jasper smiled easily. "Hell yeah, I am. I can't wait to hear your voice again, darlin'. It's been a while."

I smiled back. "I know that feelin'. I missed singing, you know? Haven't done it much since I got here. Just didn't feel right." I replied, knowing he would understand my reasoning.

Draco spoke up then. "You're going to sing tomorrow, love?" He asked, his voice lilting with excitement.

I turned to look at him. "Yeah, I'll be singing. I just don't do it often when I'm away from them," I motioned my head in Jasper's direction. I smiled as Draco's eyes flashed with anticipation.

His eyes became mischievous as smirked at me. "Are you any good? Because if not, I think I should be told now." His tone was playful, making me laugh and slap at his chest.

"Yes, I'm good, you jerk." I said softly, leaning forward to kiss him gently. "But maybe I should let you be the judge of that, hm?" I asked in a whisper as I pulled back.

He licked his lips as he smirked again. "Yes, I do believe I _shall_ be that judge of that."

I did nothing but roll my eyes at his smirk and condescending tone.

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**So, what did you think? You can tell me if it's crap, I'll understand, I swear. **

**Also, none of the above insults were meant to offend, if there were any sensitive souls out there that didn't find that as funny as I did, hence why it is in this chapter. ;) lol. Let me know what you thought. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey!** **So here is the next update. I sure hope you like it because I have revised it so many times that if I have to read it one more time, my head will explode... And I'm sure there are still some mistakes that I missed. :/ Oh well, such is life. Anyway, this is the first half of Christmas, and the next part is the part I'm truly worried about you all liking, but you will have to wait until Friday to find out what happens. :)**

**So, I own nothing, and all mistakes are my own. **

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Christmas morning dawned bright and early, the house waking up earlier than normal. I had been up for almost two hours before the others, but I was so comfortable in my position that I hadn't made a move to get up.

After sleeping in Draco's arms the night before last, I had taken the liberty of making the bed in his room larger and slipping in it with him last night, ignoring his smug chuckle as I snuggled into his chest. I knew I wouldn't be able to do this back in school and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while I had the chance.

So, I was incredibly reluctant to move from Draco's arms simply to shower and be awake alone for a few hours, when I could lay here, cocooned in solid warmth using his firm, naked chest as my pillow.

Was there anybody who would want to leave that?

As Draco began to stir, I squeezed my arms tighter around his torso, making him chuckle as he bent to kiss my forehead.

"Good morning, my love," He whispered to me softly, tipping my chin up. "Have you brushed away the morning breath yet?" He smirked at me as I scowled.

Reluctantly, I mumbled, "Yes," but added in a stronger tone. "You jerk." I narrowed my eyes at him as his smug look only got bigger.

His hands gripped my waist and pulled me until I was lying on his chest, my legs on either side of his hips. His hand cupped the back of my neck as he brought me down to him. "That's good… because I would hate… to have to deny you… your morning kiss... again." He said softly, stopping every few words to kiss my forehead, my cheeks, and my chin. Finally he stopped talking all together, and kissed me, making me bury my hands in his hair and forget that I was supposed to be aggravated that he was teasing me.

He let me up a few moments later so that we could catch our breath. God, I loved it when he kissed me. His lips were so soft and damn if he didn't know what he was doing with that tongue… I had to force my mind away from the other things he could do well with his tongue.

"How do you always have fresh breath, anyway?" I asked breathlessly.

He smirked up at me. "I can't give away all of my secrets, now can I?"

I glared at but sighed, sulking. I leaned up from my position. "Come on, you can take the shower first; I'll just go down to Hermione's room and use the one there. I'm quite sure everyone else will be up shortly."

I got off of Draco after placing a soft kiss over his heart. I loved that he was comfortable enough with me to sleep nearly naked, even after everything that he had gone through. I just hoped that I would be ready for him to see my scars soon. It wasn't as though he hadn't already seen them; it was the fact that this time, he would see them up close and personal.

With a small smile in his direction, I made my way down from the third floor to the second and headed inside.

The sight I was greeted with was one I, surprisingly, wasn't expecting.

There stood Hermione, in the process of slipping on her underwear, still without a bra; wet, fluffy hair falling in her face as she bent over, thankfully, facing the door. He head jerked up as I entered the room, her body straightening as her hands shot out to cover herself.

I smirked at her, ignoring her nakedness. "Well, I guess now we're even. You saw me and now I've seen you." I chuckled at her fiery blush as I walked into the bathroom.

Making my way down the stairs forty minutes later, presents shrunken in my pockets, I stepped into the kitchen for coffee before walking into the dining room. The room was full, more people here today than there had been my entire visit here.

Draco was seated in the back, as far away from everyone as possible. The seats next to him were occupied by Lucius and Severus, and I wanted to be close to him, so I chose the only other seat available: Draco's lap.

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, to which I simply shrugged before leaning back against his chest and watching the other occupants in the room.

Molly was bustling around the room, Ginny helping her, placing food on the table, glancing every once in a while at the corner I was in with an ugly look on her face. The Cullens were spread around the room, talking to the room's other occupants. The twins were holed up in another corner with Alice; her in between the two of them with a smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks as they whispered to her, hands stroking the skin revealed by her wife beater and jeans; something surprisingly simple for Alice.

Alice had always known that she would end up with two men, twin red heads with freckles and devious smiles, Seeing them in her visions. I guess she had finally found those two men. I smiled as I imagined that Alice would pull me aside one of these days before going back to school and tell me about it.

Rose was sitting next to Lucius, the two of them so obviously flirting with each other that it was rather disgusting to watch. I smirked, thinking that they would make a cute couple. Lucius for sure deserved to be happy after all the shit he's gone through… and having such a bitch for a wife. But, if he hurt my Rosie, I'd have to break him… I smirked again: if Rose didn't hurt him, that is.

Jasper was next to Bill, Fleur sitting beside her husband, and another red head that I hadn't met before; conversing about who knew what, but his eyes kept straying in my direction. We made eye contact and his moved in the direction of my father before he cocked an eyebrow. My eyes widened in shock before I smirked at him and nodded. He winked at me before turning back to a just catching on Bill.

If Jasper had his way, I'd be calling him dad before the end of the school year.

I chuckled softly, eyeing my father, wondering just what he'd think of that development. I knew from the gift my mom had given me for him that it would mean a lot to him, but maybe more so than I thought. I didn't read the letter she left for him, but maybe this was what she meant…

My eyes found Emmett who was sitting next to Edward, Emmett's chair close to Edward's, speaking softly to him, probably in an attempt to calm the submissive Veela down. Edward never had liked rooms full of people. It made my eyes soften as I looked at Edward, wondering if I should go and check on him.

As if he had heard my thoughts, he looked up and met my eyes, his mind open. Suddenly, he was in my head.

"_Are you alright, honey?"_ I asked softly, mentally holding him. It was a strange feeling, doing something physical… but mentally… and now I was confusing myself.

Edward answered softly, _"Yes, I'm alright. Just nervous is all." _

"_Do you want me to come over there?" _I asked. While I didn't want to leave Draco, if Edward needed me, I'd go in a heartbeat.

He shook his head against my chest in my mind. _"No, you stay with Draco. I'll be alright, promise."_ He smiled shyly at me, and I nodded hesitantly.

"_If you're sure…"_ I replied and his response was to withdraw from my mind. I saw him give me a small nod and returned the gesture, still hesitant.

After a few more moments of looking at Edward worriedly, I resumed my search of the room and found Harry next to Ron, talking to him quietly; their hands under the table, probably linked together. I smiled softly at the obvious happiness on my little brother's face.

Hermione sitting alone on the left of Harry with her knees resting against the table. She had a book open, typically. She felt my eyes on her and looked up at me, only to look away quickly with a bright blush on her cheeks. I smirked as I thought of why. Now, I had another thing to tell Pansy about when I returned to the castle.

Finally, I spotted Sirius and Remus together; speaking lowly to each other, though they looked like the conversation was getting heated. It made me wonder just what they were discussing that could aggravate a man as gentle as Remus.

Having not seen Arthur, I figured he was at work, but where the fuck was Dumbledore…

I sighed softly, and sipped my coffee, laying my head on Draco shoulder, his arms coming around me gently. I smiled happily and let my eyes slip closed in content.

"Breakfast is ready! Everyone dig in." Molly voice rang loud around the room a little while later, stopping the conversation momentarily. The silence didn't last long as everyone quickly dug into the food that was laid out.

Severus, Rose, Lucius, Draco and I waited until the others had gotten their food before we grabbed ours. I made sure to eat more than I did at school as Rose's hawk like eyes stared at, ensuring that I would eat.

I widened to chair Draco was sitting on into the size of a small bench and sat down next to him so that he could eat. Emmett, having seen my use of magic, glared at me from across the room. I just smiled sweetly at him and shrugged.

Truth was, I felt fantastic. I knew that my magic levels were almost back to normal. I just had to keep the spells I used to a minimum for some time still… and do them as far away from the Cullens as possible, or risk death by boredom at another lecture of being careful.

About two hours later, everyone was done with their meals and we were –somehow- all in the living room. I mean really, I didn't think this house was that big.

Presents were passed around to people, the Weasley's mostly, and we all watched as they opened their gifts. I didn't pay much attention to them, keeping mine until the very end.

When Molly went to announce that they could leave, I interrupted her. "Wait. I have a few things to give out." I smirked at the ugly look she sent me.

I handed out the gifts my mother had left in her vault to Severus, Lucius, Sirius, and Remus, keeping Dumbledore's in my pocket. The gifts from the vault had all been taken from their original sack and put in correctly sized boxes and wrapped. I had put the little satchels in the box, right on top. "These were in my mom's vault at Gringotts. Open the little satchels first; she left letters for you there." I kept my voice clear of emotion as I spoke, not wanting to give the impression that anything was wrong. I really didn't want to talk about what had happened that day. It was still throbbed like a gaping wound.

I then handed the gifts to Harry, Ron, and Hermione that I had bought for them. "I had some trouble getting you guys your gifts, so I hope you like them."

Hermione's gift was simple: a wizarding credit card with a limit of a thousand galleons to any book store in any wizarding community all over the world. So, maybe not simple, but I figured she would prefer being able to choose books she liked rather than have me a guess at some. I had also gotten Ron a credit card with the same limit to any Quidditch shop he wished to visit. By the expressions on their faces, it was safe to assume that they greatly enjoyed their gifts.

Harry was much harder to buy for. He liked Quidditch, but not as much as Ron; he didn't really like to read, at least not anything educational. It hadn't really hit me what to get him until I had happened upon the entrance to Knockturn Alley and saw two beautiful necklaces, one emerald and one ruby, in the window of one of the shops. Neither were big enough that it was obvious if they were on, not that they would be seen, and not too feminine so Harry would feel uncomfortable wearing a necklace. I wouldn't tell him about the ruby just yet, however.

When I had asked about them, the enchantments on them were exactly what I needed in a present for Harry. The gift wasn't the cheapest, almost as expensive as Ron and Hermione's gifts put together, but I knew that, if my mother's warning meant anything, they would come in handy someday. I could feel it in my bones.

He opened it and his eyes widened. "Bella…" He said in warning, his whole being rejecting something that looked as expensive as that did.

I held my hand up and shook my head. "Harry, don't start. Money isn't a problem and you know it. But this, I couldn't pass up. This isn't just some random piece of pricey jewelry. This has special enchantments on it that will help me find you if anything happens. I want to be absolutely sure that I can get to you if you are ever in danger and this is the way I can do that."

There was another part to Harry's gift, the part that made the spells on the gem actually work, but that would have to wait until I could get him alone, away from all of these Light wizards. I mean, I bought it in Knockturn Alley; of course it would involve the use of Dark Magic. Then, the necklace would be as though it wasn't there.

Harry let a tear slip down his cheek as he got up off the couch he was sitting on and knelt in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist and whispering thank you to me. I didn't know what had brought this reaction on; I'd have to ask him about it later. I did nothing but hold him for a minute as we held each other in a warm embrace. He pulled back, beaming.

I smiled back as he got up and walked back to his seat, reverently setting the gem back in its box.

I shook my head softly as I turned back to the room, ignoring the gawking eyes on me. I instead looked at the men with the presents still unopened in their laps.

Sirius let out a short laugh as he shook his head, ripping the paper off of his present. His actions seemed to knock some sense into the others and they followed suit.

They all opened the satchels first and began to read, all but Remus' eyes widening in shock. My father and Sirius let out a gasp as they read, and Severus' eyes, surprisingly, began to fill with tears.

With shaking hands, Remus was the first to pull his gift from the box. He pulled out a book with no title, just a black cover. He opened it and began to read through the things in it. His eyes widened slowly as he read.

Remus had gotten a book on old creature laws; laws that hadn't been eradicated, simply forgotten about. Laws that stated that if Remus were to find a secure place for him to roam on the full moon where no one resided, he would be given all rights of a human, he would be allowed to marry, have children, etc.

Remus' eyes filled with tears then, and he closed the book and held it to his chest as he looked up and smiled. Sirius looked over at him curiously but Remus just shook his head in an 'I'll explain later' gesture.

Sirius opened his next, pulling out a six inch knife that was tucked inside a soft leather holster that could be strapped to you. I had a similar one that I carried in my boot. He slipped the knife out and watched as it glinted in the light. There were words engraved on the handle: _"For when you get yourself stuck in something magic can't get you out of." _Sirius looked confused but excited, so he shrugged and tucked it back into its holster.

Lucius was next as he slipped the long box out, opened it, and gasped softly. He gently took the sterling silver chain in between his thumb and forefinger, pulling it up and out. At the end of the chain, there was a blue pendent the same color as Rosalie's eyes. It was a good thing that Lucius wasn't adverse to wearing slightly girlie jewelry. His eyes widened in realization of something as he gently sat the necklace back in its box and cleared his throat, looking up at Rosalie as she smiled softly at him.

Lastly, Severus shakily pulled the smallest present of them all out of the box. He flipped the top open and his breath caught at the sight.

I knew that the ring inside the box was his grandmother's ring, thought to be lost to the next generations of the Prince family when Severus' mother married a muggle and her mom disowned her. How my mom had found it, I would never know, but I knew that Severus would not question it.

He didn't remove the ring, simply closed the box, putting it and the letter back in the box I had put them in, and giving us a small goodbye before leaving hastily through the floo.

After a few moments of silence, everyone composed themselves, putting their things back in the boxes and leaving to take them up to their rooms; I turned to look at Draco next to me.

I grimaced slightly. "I kind of… didn't… get you anything yet…"

Draco smirked at me. "Don't worry, love. I didn't get you anything either." Instead of being offended, I let out a breath of relief.

"Good. I've been worried about that all break." I smiled at him as his small smile appeared.

He leaned forward and cupped my face, pressing our foreheads together. "You've already given me more than I could ever ask for, just by loving me, Bell. How could I possibly want for more?" He whispered lovingly, making me sigh adoringly, or sickeningly really, back at him. I ignored that little thought in my mind and leaned over to kiss him softly, moaning lowly when he deepened it.

A few moments later, a throat cleared behind us, and I looked over my shoulder at Jasper. He smirked. "So, you ready to start _our_ tradition?" Jasper wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hell yes, I am!" I said with a smiled, jumping from my seat.

I ignore Draco as he laughed at my enthusiasm.

* * *

**Well, there it is. I was stuck on the presents, I really was. i had no clue what to get Ron and Hermione, so I just got them what all people in the real world get people they don't know how to buy for: gift cards. Anyway, if it sucks, I'm sorry, but I'm... mildly proud of it. For how long it took me to write, I should be majorly proud of it, but alas, tis not the truth. So... Review and let me know if you guys liked it! :DD**

**Oh, and I hope you like the loving Draco, 'cause I like him. ^.^ lol.**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey! So, a few things about this chapter. One, it took me forever to write. Two, if this isn't the most futuristic Harry Potter story you've ever read, I want to know which others that you've read that are worse than this. I mean, none of these songs even came out in the 90s... lol. **

The list for songs and a bit of explanations are as follows (in order of appearance):

**Thank You & Goodnight - Tonight Alive (I wanted to give Jasper and Bella a song together.)  
Mz. Hyde - Halestorm (I love this fuckin' song!)  
Respect - Pink (I thought it was cute for Alice and Bella.)  
I Waited For You - Valora (I liked it.)  
Miss Nothing - The Pretty Reckless (Again, liked it.)  
Issues - Escape the Fate (Now that I think about it, kinda represents the control that Dumbledore and Voldermort have over everyone...)  
Soldiers - Otherwise (The name is a little self explanatory, but is talked about more in-depth in chapter.)  
Unbeautiful - Lesley Roy (Liked it...)  
Permanent - David Cook (explained in story.)  
A Thousand Years - Christina Perri (Twilight... Duh! lol)  
Your Gaurdian Angel - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (This is what I imagined Jasper would want to say to Severus... Even if he isn't there to hear it...)  
Beautiful With You - Halestorm (Explained in chapter)  
Skyscraper - Demi Lovato (Explained in chapter.)**

**Now, none of these songs really have a meaning that isn't described in the chapter (or above), other than I like them. ^.^ lol. I own none of these lyrics; they all belong to the excellent artists. If you don't know these songs, be it all or some, I highly recommend you go and listen to them, if only so that you can get the meaning behind the explanations I gave for the songs without lyrics.**

**Also, I am not a musician, so if my descriptians of music being played are complete crap, let me apologize in advance. So, no flames or anything saying, "That's not how it happens!" Because... Oh guess what... I don't care. I wrote this as best as I could with my lack of knowledge, so :p. lol.**

**Oh! **_Lyrics are italic,_** and everything else is normal. :)**

**I think that covers everything... lol.**

**Anyway, after my longest freakin' A/N ever, I own nothing except for the spelling and/or grammar errors. **

* * *

Later that day, after dinner and everyone but Molly, Ginny, Arthur and Dumbledore were sitting in the living room, Jasper, Alice, and Emmett went to work. Emmett and Jasper lugged all of the instruments down from the third floor –It wasn't safe for the instruments to shrink or even put a feather light charm on them- and Alice began to place charms on the amplifiers that would make them work here in the wizarding world. In such a small room, we wouldn't need the overly large ones, but an electric guitar just didn't sound right without an amp.

After about thirty minutes, everything was set up and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It had been so long since I had sung with these guys that I was getting antsy. I would have been bouncing in my seat had it not been for me sitting on Draco's lap.

Being so far away from home and our comfort zone, we decided to forgo getting completely shit faced, like we usually did. Something about being that vulnerable to the people we hardly knew, never knowing what would come out of our mouths wile inebriated; or what we would do, for that matter, made all of us a little uncomfortable.

Jasper looked over at me and smiled. "Alright Bells, whatcha wanna do first?"

I smiled back at him and leapt from Draco's lap. "Let's do Thank You & Goodnight." I said, biting my lip in excitement.

Jasper just laughed at me. "Alright, honey. You look like you could pass for Ace in all your enthusiasm."

I was too damn ecstatic to even bring myself to glare at the jerk, so I just stuck my tongue out at him. Jasper picked up his guitar as Emmett got on the drums, and Rosalie grabbed the base. I lifted my own guitar and slid the strap over my shoulders. We weren't using microphones, due to the small space and our loud voices so Emmett just counted to four and started.

_I'm feeling stuck here,  
Break it up, break it up.  
A little low here,  
Take it up, take it up.  
I'm getting bored here,  
Shake it up with me, now._

_Your ego's starting a game,  
And it's coming through  
I'm seeing you're just the same,  
But who's blaming you?  
Well I know that you can't help it._

_I need to,  
Pull myself together,  
If we're talking about forever,  
Yeah this room just got a little bit smaller.  
And it's not like I signed up for this.  
I'm sorry, but I just got to be honest,  
You're not my type,  
No hard feelings,  
Thank you and good night._

I finished the chorus, Jasper playing through the small guitar solo, before he took over the next verse.

_I'm lost for words here,  
Make it up, make it up.  
This is the worst can't,  
Shut you up, shut you up.  
I gotta chill so, bottom's up with me now.  
You think you're playing a game,  
well it's playing you  
I think you all look the same,  
But who's blaming you?  
Well, I know that you can't help it._

I joined in again at the chorus

_I need to,  
Pull myself together,  
If we're talking about forever,  
Yeah this room just got a little bit smaller.  
And it's not like I signed up for this.  
I'm sorry, but I just got to be honest,  
You're not my type,  
No hard feelings,  
Thank you and good night._

Jasper sang the next part of the song.

_Well I just don't know  
I kinda wanna go home  
I wonder if she knows I'm ready to go_

I then sang, with him echoing his part right behind me.

_You can't help it,(I just don't know)  
I can't help but (I kinda wanna go home)  
wonder why, (I wonder if she knows I'm ready to go)  
wonder why._

We repeated it, making eye contact as we smiled at each other. It was good to sing together again.

_You can't help it,(I just don't know)  
I can't help but (I kinda wanna go home)  
wonder why, (I wonder if she knows I'm ready to go)  
wonder why._

I took the last part alone.

_I need to,  
Pull myself together,  
If we're talking about forever,  
Yeah this room just got a little bit smaller.  
And it's not like I signed up for this.  
I'm sorry, but I just got to be honest,  
You're not my type,  
No hard feelings,_

_Well I need to,  
Pull myself together,  
If we're talking about forever,  
Yeah this room just got a little bit smaller.  
And it's not like I signed up for this.  
I'm sorry, but I just got to be honest,  
You're not my type,  
No hard feelings,  
Thank you and good night._

_Thank you and good night.  
Thank you and good night._

We finished the song, Jasper's guitar holding its last note for a few seconds. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face if I tried.

The room began to clap, bringing me back to the present. I turned around and almost blushed as I remembered that there were people watching us. There was usually never anyone there when we did this, just us in the Cullen's studio, and during the song, I had completely zoned out to everything but the music.

I offered up a shy smile, something that didn't occur often. I made eye contact with the only person in the room whose opinion I really cared about. Draco was looking at me with a grin on his face and a soft look in his eyes. I knew that he enjoyed hearing me sing. My smile grew broader in happiness.

My smile turned to a smirk as I turned to Rose. "So, you wanna do Mz. Hyde?" Her answering smirk was just as devious as mine.

Jasper looked at the both of us with a smile. He queued to Emmett that it was time to start up again. After telling him the song, the music started.

Rosalie took the first verse, her voice almost guttural, yet somehow feminine.

_In the daylight,  
I'm your sweetheart,  
You're goody-two-shoes prude is a work of art.  
But you don't know me,  
And soon you won't forget,  
Bad as can be, yeah you know I'm not so innocent_

_Better beware I go bump in the night,  
Devil-may-care with a lust for life,  
And I know you,  
Can't resist this,  
Soon though you,  
Are so addicted.  
Boy you better run for your life!_

_Welcome to the nightmare in my head,  
(Oh god!)  
Say hello to something scary,  
The monster in your bed,  
(Oh god!)  
Just give in and you won't be sorry,  
Welcome to my other side,  
Hello it's Mz. Hyde!_

I took the next verse, smirking as I sang.

_I can be the bitch,  
I can play the whore,  
Or your fairytale princess who could ask for more.  
A touch of wicked,  
A pinch of risk-ay,  
Good girl gone bad, my poison is your remedy_

Some of the people in the room laughed as I winked at them, nodding my head during the verse, acting out, with my facial expressions, the words as I sang them.

_Better be scared, better be afraid,  
Now that the beast is out of her cage,  
And I know you,  
Wanna risk it,  
Soon though you,  
Are so addicted._

_Boy you better run for your life!_

_Welcome to the nightmare in my head,  
(My god!)  
Say hello to something scary,  
The monster in your bed,  
(My god!)  
Just give in and you won't be sorry,  
Welcome to my evil side,  
Hello it's Mz. Hyde!  
Hello it's Mz. Hyde!  
Hello it's Mz. Hyde!_

The next part, Rose started singing, but we alternated between lines.

_I'm the spider crawling down your spine,  
Underneath your skin.  
I will gently violate your mind,  
Before I tuck you in.  
Put on the blindfold  
There's no way to be sure,  
Which girl you'll get to know!  
(It's me, I swear!)_

We took the last chorus together.

_Welcome to the nightmare in my head,  
(My god!)  
Say hello to something scary,  
The monster in your bed,  
(My god!)  
Just give in and you won't be sorry,  
The nightmare in my head,  
(Oh god!)  
Say hello to something scary,  
The monster in your bed,  
(Oh god!)  
Just give in and you won't be sorry,  
Welcome to my evil side,  
Hello it's Mz. Hyde!  
Hello it's Mz. Hyde!_

Once it was over, Rose and I smiled at each other, panting. That was always our favorite song to sing together because of how… devious, for lack of better term, it was. It had some truth for the both of us, making us fall in love with it the minute we heard it.

I shook my head as Rosalie looked over at Lucius and winked at him causing him to smirk in her direction.

By the looks of it, Rosalie would be getting laid soon.

Alice pounced on me then, making me grunt at the force. "Hey, watch the guitar." I said as I pulled the poor thing out of the way of the bouncing pixie.

She giggled at me. "Sorry." She said, not sounding apologetic in the least, making me scowl down at the top of her head.

"Bella, can we sing our song. Please?" She begged up at me, her puppy dog eyes in full force.

I sighed. "Ace, you know that song is only for when we are alone." It wasn't that it was bad or anything, just that it was rather crass.

"Please, Bella. I know that's what you said, but I know they'll like it. Please, please, please?" She pleaded, her voice getting louder in my ear as she spoke.

I winced and said. "Fine! God... set up the machine for it."

Ten minutes later, the music for Pink's Respect was blaring from the speakers Alice had set up. Alice took the first verse, swinging her hips and moving around the room as she sang. I took the second, getting into the song until I was dancing with Alice.

By the time the song was over, I was smiling wickedly as the room laughed at me and Alice's dancing.

Next, Rose sang I Waited For You by Valora; then together we sang Miss Nothing by The Pretty Reckless, her singing the first verse and chorus, me the second with us ending it together.

We took a break, laughing and enjoying the company around us before Jasper sang Issues by Escape The Fate with me and Emmett singing the choruses with him. Emmett sang Soldiers by Otherwise, sobering the others in the room as everyone thought on the fact that soon, this would happen to all of us and there was nothing we could do to stop it. It also served as motivation for them as the lyrics went on.

After that, and another break, the night seemed to be winding down; the songs were slower, and a little more heartfelt. Rose started with Unbeautiful by Lesley Roy, her voice just as guttural, if not more of a soprano.

Jasper sang Permanent by David Cook, wailing the notes in his deep timbre. Alice set the machine to play the violin when needed and I sat next to Edward as he played the piano; I sang the lyrics to the chorus gently, conveying to him that I would never leave. After the song ended, he gave me a small smile in thanks, a tear track on his cheek where a tear had fallen unnoticed to me. I swiped at it softly and placed my forehead against his, comforting him.

Rose sang A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, a smile on her face as she looked at Lucius during certain parts of the song, making me wonder just how much I had missed since he had gotten here, or if the feelings were just developing that quickly. I supposed mom's Christmas present to Lucius must have meant that whatever it was that was happening between them would happen soon.

Jasper played his acoustic as he sang Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Emmett, Rose, and I were ready when the end of the song came and the heavier instruments were needed.

It was getting late by that time and while everyone had enjoyed our performances, we were all getting tired. Before we went to bed though, there was one more song that I wanted to sing. While I didn't exactly want to do it in front of all these people, I figured now would be as god a time as any.

When I told the others, they all just smirked at me, making me scowl as I blushed slightly. I was already nervous about singing it, damn it; did they _have_ to make it worse?

Everyone got ready, and I stood in front of them, looking at Draco, catching his eye as the music for Beautiful With You by Halestorm began.

_I stare at the girl in the mirror  
Tee-shirt, torn up jeans, no beauty queen  
But the way that you see me  
You get underneath me  
And all my defenses just fall away  
Fall away_

_I am beautiful with you  
Even in the darkest part of me  
I am beautiful with you  
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be  
You're here with me  
Just show me this and I'll believe  
I am beautiful with you_

_I stand naked before you now  
No walls to hide behind  
So here am I  
You see all of my scars  
Still here you are  
I bare my soul and I'm not afraid  
Not afraid_

_I am beautiful with you  
Even in the darkest part of me  
I am beautiful with you  
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be  
You're here with me  
Just show me this and I'll believe  
I am beautiful with you_

I had to close my eyes as I sang the next part, not able to look into the intense stare I was getting from Draco.

_I've been the strong one for so long  
But I was wrong  
Does it make you weak if you're needing someone  
I'm not holding back and I know what I want_

A tear slid down my cheek softly as I almost whispered the next two lines.

_I am beautiful with you  
I am beautiful with you_

I gazed at Draco for a moment before closing my eyes again for the next part.

_You want for myself  
Look at me like no one else  
I am beautiful with you_

_I am beautiful with you  
Even in the darkest part of me  
I am beautiful with you  
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be  
You're here with me  
Just show me this and I'll believe  
I am beautiful with you_

I had never felt so vulnerable before in my entire life, not even when I had first sung my mom's song. I lowered my head and breathed hard as I stared at the floor as the room went silent. I looked up as polished shoes came into view.

Draco didn't say anything, just pulled me gently into his arms. I rested my head on his chest as he pressed his lips into my hair. He held me as a few more tears slipped down my cheeks as the raw emotion coursed through my veins in a way it never had before.

After a few minutes, I pulled back, composed, and smiled up at Draco. He smiled back and bent his head down to kiss me. I took a deep breath and stepped away from the warm embrace.

I turned back to the guys and said, "Alright, I think we should call it quits for the night." All I wanted to do was go upstairs and go to sleep in Draco's arms.

Jasper looked at me and seemed to realize what I was thinking. He nodded, "After one more song."

I narrowed my eyes at him, praying he didn't want what I thought he wanted. Hadn't I just ripped my soul open for the world to see not two seconds ago? Why must I do it again? "And what, pray tell, would that song be?" I asked quietly.

He smiled innocently at me. "Why, your song, of course." I knew what song he meant and I instantly shook my head.

"Jasper…" I started but I was interrupted by an arm wrapping around my waist.

"Is he talking about the song that your mum used to sing for you? The one from your memories?" Draco whispered in my ear.

I stiffened and hesitantly nodded my head at him, knowing what was going to come out of his mouth before it did. "I'd like to hear it, love. Will you sing it for me?" He whispered in my ear again, his voice persuasive.

I turned my head to look at him and glared into his soulful eyes. After a few moments when it looked as though he wouldn't be backing down, I sighed. I could never deny this man anything, damn it.

Looking at the others as a last-ditch effort to maybe get them to be tired enough to give me an excuse out of this, I received no help whatsoever. It seemed as though all the tiredness in the room had drained out of them all and in its place was curiosity.

Sighing, resigned to my torture, I turned to Edward. "Would you mind playing the piano for me, love?" I asked softly, knowing he was tired by the dropping of his shoulders. I could see that he desperately wanted out of the room, the amount of people really beginning to get to him, but he nodded his head with a small smile anyway.

I considered using his need for space as my out, but I knew that Edward would be argue that he was fine, especially because it was me he would be playing for, blowing my thought process out of the water.

I pulled away from Draco and moved to sit on up on the piano in the room. Edward began to play softly.

_Skies are crying, I am watching  
Catching teardrops in my hands  
Only silence, as it's ending, like we never had a chance.  
Do you have to make me feel like there's nothing left of me?_

_You can take everything I have  
You can break everything I am  
Like I'm made of glass  
Like I'm made of paper  
Go on and try to tear me down  
I will be rising from the ground  
Like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper_

Alice's machine kicked in with the orchestral instruments and the beating of the drums.

_As the smoke clears  
I awaken and untangle you from me  
Would it make you feel better to watch me while I bleed  
All my windows still are broken but I'm standing on my feet_

I began to cry as I entered the next chorus, not being able to hold them in as thoughts and memories surged to the forefront of my mind.

_You can take everything I have  
You can break everything I am  
Like I'm made of glass  
Like I'm made of paper  
Go on and try to tear me down  
I will be rising from the ground  
Like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper_

_Go run run run I'm gonna stay right here  
Watch you disappear yeah  
Go run run run yeah it's a long way down  
But I'm closer to the clouds up here_

I whispered the next part of the song, tears steadily leaking down my face.

_You can take everything I have  
You can break everything I am  
Like I'm made of glass  
Like I'm made of paper_

My voice came back full force as I almost yelled the last chorus, the same feeling of determination filling me as it always did when I sang this song, my thoughts on Charlie and all that he did to me.

_Ohh  
Go on and try to tear me down  
I will be rising from the ground  
Like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper  
Like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper  
Like a skyscraper_

I sat there, sniffling for a moment. Draco came to stand in between my legs and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Take me to bed. Please." I whispered in his ear. I didn't want to see the others, didn't care to look at them as Draco nodded against my neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he lifted me from the piano and carried me from the room, the door swinging shut against the intense silence of the room.

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**So, let me know what you thought. Like I said, I'm not a musician myself so if my descriptions suck really bad, I apologize again. :/ Anyway, this chapter makes me nervous, so... ease my nerves with a review...? :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	30. Chapter 30

**So, I apologize for taking so long to update. Over the last weekend, my life went to shit for a second there and I just didn't get around to it. While things are better, different things seem to be popping up, like my grandma being in the hospital, so I don't know what's gonna happen now. *sigh* But, I digress. :/**

**So, on another, still slightly depressing note, I have some news on this story. I am currently typing chapter 36, or will begin to tomorrow at least, and at that point in the story, I am out of my element. It talks about things that I have never attempted writing before, so I don't know how long it will take me to get that chapter as well as the ones following written. I will be trying to get it and a coupe more done by Monday for another update, but I make no promises. I just hope that I can do the scenes justice. :P**

**Also, there is a symbol descirbed in this scene and I wanted to give you a link to the picture so that if my description sucks, you can see the symbol I used. There are a couple of different ones I saw, but this one seemed like the easiest to describe. The link is:**

_ albums/hh129/caitlynnislovely/Pics%20for%20Covers/?action=view¤t;= _

**Just copy and paste exactly as it is, and you will see a version (or so Google says) of the Celtic symbol for Family. :)**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up cuddled to Draco's chest. I sighed as I remembered we went back to school in a few days. It was something I would miss.

Looking up at him through tired eyes, I saw that he was still sleeping. His eyes were closed, lashes fluttering against his cheeks gently as he dreamt. A small smile lit his face, making me wonder what he was dreaming about.

His expression as so peaceful in sleep, the mask he wore around other people down completely. It made me smile to think that I was the only one who got to see him like this.

Laying my head back on his chest, I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. But, as I listened to his heartbeat, I didn't think I wanted to move. I closed my eyes as breathed out contentedly.

I laid there silently for about an hour, completely happy to stay right here all day, but Draco's heartbeat changed, letting me know that he was waking up. His arms tightened around my body as he inhaled deeply. My head lifted to look up at his face.

He smiled at me. "Good morning, my love." He bent his head down to kiss me softly, both of us sighing in content as our lips met.

I smiled back. "Good morning."

He stared into my eyes, his expression soft. I don't know how long we lay there, just looking into each other's eyes before his hand reached up to gently cup my cheek, his thumb stroking the skin under my eye as he whispered quietly, "I love you so much, Bella. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me. Always remember that."

I smiled again even as my eyes welled up with tears and I nuzzled my cheek into his palm. "I love you too, Draco. More than anything else in the world." I grabbed the hand on my cheek and twined our fingers together, using my grip as leverage to scooted up and kissed him again, my tongue peeking out to lick at his bottom lip, asking for entrance. I moaned softly when I received it.

I had to pull back for air after a few minutes, both of us panting. I forced myself up and away from him, our fingers sliding apart last. "If we don't get up now, I won't let you get up at all. I call shower first." I ignored him as he laughed at me. He had no idea just how badly I wanted him, but while my body was ready, my mind and heart weren't. Somehow, deep inside somewhere, I knew it wasn't time yet.

I was in and out of the shower quickly, not wanting to keep Draco waiting too long. I stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed the clothes I had put in here the night before, knowing that I wouldn't be going back to Hermione's room. I didn't look over at Draco as he looked at me in just my towel.

I went back to the bathroom and dressed, finishing my morning routine. When I left the room again, Draco was out of bed and waiting by the door for his turn. He smirked a little at me, making me flush. Damn him and his ability to get me all hot with just a look.

Walking downstairs, the only people awake were Jasper, Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, and Edward. It didn't surprise me much. They were all night people, but never slept late during the day. I didn't understand how they did it, and never asked.

"Morning." I said quietly, after getting my coffee and sitting down next to Edward. He immediately laid his head on my shoulder, purring softly as I threaded my fingers through his hair.

I received soft responses and small smiles as we all sipped our coffee quietly and I pulled out my book. The silence was only broken a little while later when Draco walked into the room with his coffee. He took a seat next to me and put his arm on the back of my chair, careful not to dislodge Edward from his position.

Reading over my shoulder, we both read through my book, idle sipping our coffee as my fingers continued to gently card through Edward's hair. His purring and the occasional rustle of paper were the only noises in the room.

Finally, another hour later, the room began to fill up with more people, Sirius and Remus being the first into the room, followed by Hermione; then Ron and Harry. Finally, the Weasley twins filed into the room, making for a full house.

I put my book away and looked at Harry. "You ready to start our lessons again today?"

Harry nodded his head, actually looking excited. "I've been meditating like you told me, and I can feel my magic," He paused as though he was trying to find the right words. "Well… warming up to me, I guess." He looked like he wasn't sure if he should talk about his magic being its own thing, but I just laughed.

"That's good. You're magic should respond better now than it did a few days ago. Maybe you'll even succeed in controlling it today." I smiled at his obvious anticipation at that.

"Just let me have another cup of coffee and we'll go from there." I said as I got up from my seat to get my coffee.

During my next cup, my incident the night before wasn't brought up like I thought it would be. There were questions about the night in general, but everyone seemed to steer clear of my songs, something I was extremely grateful for.

I decided to ignore the soft, sympathetic looks I received in place of the actual conversation. I was having a pretty good day today and I didn't want to let their pity get to me.

After I finished my coffee, I got up and gestured for Harry to follow me to our training room.

My assumption had been correct. Harry's magic responded much better, though not completely, than before. He succeeded in following 3 out of every 5 commands that I gave him. Needless to say, he was in a much better mood after our lesson today than he had ever been before.

About two hours after we began, I looked over at Harry. "Ok, we're done with this part for today, but there is something else I need from you. First, go downstairs and get Draco and Ron for me."

Harry looked confused but nodded and went down to get them. While he did that, I got the things ready that I would need for this. First, I drew a Celtic symbol for Family in the center of the room with the black paint I had hid here earlier.

It was a circle that was used to entwine the lines that created the three points of the symbol. The points were outside the circle and that lines that met there to create them moved to form the shape of an eye, but instead of coming to an end on the inside as well, they continued on to form the next point, the lines looking like they were never ending. .

Next, at each point, I set down a grey candle and lit each one with my lighter. The color of the candle symbolized security and reliability. The black paint was to symbolize the pain of the bond and the fear that drove me to do this in the first place.

I had just laid my knife down next to the mark when Harry walked into the room with Draco and Ron. He stopped as he looked around at the new additions.

"What's going on?" Harry asked hesitantly.

I smiled softly as I made my way towards them, closing the door and warding it. "This, my dear Harry, is an accompaniment to your gift," I said, as I tapped the small bump under his shirt. "This is the way to activate the enchantments that were on it."

I reached under my shirt and pulled out the ruby necklace that I bought with the emerald. The ruby color represented the passion I felt to keep Harry safe and the blood I wouldn't mind spilling if need be. His emerald represented the life he had that I would die to protect; the health I wanted him to keep.

"I bought this necklace with that one. This ritual is very Dark, Harry, so I'll understand if you don't want to go through with it. It is just the only way to make the necklaces work the way I intended them to." I said quietly. I knew I was asking a lot of Harry with this, but I was desperate to know that he was safe and this was the only way I could do that.

"What is the ritual?" he asked curiously, eying the things on the floor.

"The ritual is a blood bond, Harry. It is a familial blood bond. We will be bound as brother and sister, with a few perks that natural family doesn't have. We will be able to sense each other's emotions; we can track each other if one of us is in trouble, no matter where we are or the strength of the wards we are under," I snickered a little as I added, "We can know if one of us is in trouble, as you always seem to be." Harry smiled at me.

I moved forward and took his hands. "I just need to know that I can always find you, that I can keep you safe and you me. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable, and we don't have to do this, but-."

Harry cut me off. "I'll do it." He said softly. He smiled at me as I let out a relieved breath.

I pulled him into my arms and hugged him close. "Thank you, Harry." I whispered into his hair.

He pulled back and smiled at me before his face scrunched up in confusion again. "But what are they doing here?"

"I was just wondering the same thing." Ron said, standing as far away from Draco as he could, who was currently looking on impassively. I didn't think that Ron would ever truly get over his hatred of Draco.

"For a bond like this, there has to be witnesses, almost like a marriage bond, or Magic won't see it as a true bond." Draco drawled from where he as standing, sounding like it should have been obvious. Apparently, Draco still didn't much like Ron, either.

I smirked and looked to Draco. "I had a feeling you'd know why you were here," I then looked back at Harry. "I figured that Ron would be your choice in witness. Do you mind if Draco is here?" I had to ask. Harry had to be completely comfortable for this to work.

"Yes, I'm okay with him here." He smiled at me again and I smiled back.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." I said and grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him to the Celtic mark. I directed him to sit at the point by the window, not that it mattered where it was, and I sat across from him.

I picked up the knife. "Alright Harry, I need you to watch what I do and copy my movements exactly." Harry nodded as I unsheathed the knife.

Putting it to my right palm, I slid it across the skin and made a large gash in the skin, like I had with Sirius at The Veil. I let the blood run down to my fingers and moved to the very center of the mark, where all the lines overlapped, and signed my full name in the blood, leaving room for Harry's signature. When I was finished, I moved my hand, but didn't heal the cut.

I looked up at Harry and handed him the knife. I watched him follow my movements exactly. He winced as he cut open his right palm, signing his name with his blood just above my signature; not healing the wound.

"Now, give me your hand." I said as I held out my right hand. We clasped bloody hands in what looked like a disgusting handshake.

"Alright, I'm going to say the spell three times, then you are going to begin to say it with me." Harry nodded again and listened intently to my next words.

_**(1)**  
Tenetur in sanguinem,  
amore unusquisque,  
vinculum nobis,  
frater et soror._

I repeated the spell three times, pronouncing it clearly. Harry joined me in my chant of the words, and soon, our magic began to whip around us, binding together just above our names. The blood mixed together on the floor, mimicking what our blood was doing in our clasped hands, as it seeped into each other's bodies.

We both cried out at the same time, words forgotten, as a searing pain started up where our necklaces were. While I had known this would happen, I hadn't expected pain of this magnitude. Harry and I squeezed each other's hands through the pain, tears streaming down his face. Blood was running down my chin from how hard I was biting my lip to keep myself from screaming.

It felt as though my neck and chest were on fire, the skin melting off as the necklace slowly sunk into out chests.

It only lasted a few moments, but it had felt like hours. Harry and I unclasped our hands as our magic stopped mixing the blood on the ground. We looked down at our chest just in time to see a bright twine of ruby and emerald color, linking the place where the two gems used to sit together before it faded from view.

I inhaled deeply as I lifted my shirt collar and looked at where the necklace used to rest. Now, there was only a tattoo of sorts. It looked like a necklace had been etched into our skin, the chains a perfect replica of the actual one. The tattoo of the gem was sitting in the middle of my chest, but it wasn't the color of the original gem. Instead, it was black, and, like the paint, represented the pain of the bond and the willingness to go through that pain for your loved one.

I looked at Harry and smiled at him, letting my shirt rest back in its place. I moved my eyes down to the ground and saw that our blood was gone. I blinked in surprise and lifted my hand to my face. There was no longer a gaping wound, but a scar, pink and puffy, a reminder of the bond we just partook in. I shook my head and stood, reaching down and helped my little brother, literally now, up from the ground.

For the first time, we looked over at Ron and Draco, seeing the shock on their faces. While Draco knew about the bond, he had probably never seen it happen before. Draco was the first to recover, walking to me and pulling me into his chest.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly, bending his head down to kiss the chain that was now permanent on my neck.

"Yes, I'm alright." I looked back at Harry, feeling his happiness. He looked over at me and smiled softly.

"Let's go downstairs. I'm exhausted." Harry said, grabbing Ron's hand and pulling him from the room.

I smiled as I pulled Draco out behind them, looking up at him lovingly. I waved my hand and the room was clean again. The door swung closed behind us as we walked silently down the hall.

* * *

**So,** **here is the translation for the words in latin up above. It is my own creation, and doesn't rhyme in the least. :)**

**(1)  
Bound in blood,**  
**with love for each other,**  
**bond us as,**  
**brother and sister.**

**Review and let me what you thought. And, if you haven't, go back up and read my top A/N. It's important. **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	31. Chapter 31

**Ok, so I promised an update today and I have followed through. ^.^ I ask now that you give me until Friday to update again, because it will take me a second to type these last few chapters. :p **

**On another note, this chapter... Well, this chapter is utter shit, in my opinion. This right here was my way of including a few things that I hadn't gotten the chance to mention before and I'm so freakin' sorry that this thing sucks so hard, but I promise you, in about 4 chapters, things will be MUCH better, I swear it! I jsut hope you guys read these things so you know that I know that this chapter is aweful. :/ **

**So, all mistakes are mine and I own nothing. :/**

* * *

I reached out and snatched the sweet roll from the basket in the center of the table at the same time that Harry was reaching for it. He looked shocked for a moment before looking up at me and scowling.

"I wanted that." Harry said, his voice holding a whine to it.

"I know." I said with a smile as I bit into the roll. I made a show of closing my eyes in pleasure and moaning softly, as though the roll was the best thing ever, when really, I'd had better.

Harry flopped back into his chair with a pout on his face. I just smirked and took another bite of the roll, feeling through our bond that Harry wasn't really upset.

It had been three days since the ritual, and already, I was treating Harry like my little brother… more so than before, anyway. Now, I didn't just want to keep him safe. No, now I loved teasing him mercilessly, just like an older sister would. It felt as though our relationship had morphed into something that I had with Jasper, only I was on the higher end of the totem pole, so to speak.

We had quickly gotten over the fact that now I could feel when Harry was on the verge of exploding in anger, when he was excited about something; when he was anxious. The reason for us not caring about it anymore was me discovering that I could feel when Harry got off. It was awkward that very first day, as much as I tried to ignore it, when he came down stairs and we were alone for a moment.

"_So, you feel any different from yesterday?" I asked Harry quietly, not wanting to make our bond public knowledge yet, as he sat across from me in the living room. _

_Harry seemed to concentrate for a moment before he shook his head. "No, not really; not with me personally, that is. I can feel a line of magic that is connected to you, and your emotions are thrumming over it, but that's to be expected, right?" _

_I nodded my head. "Yes, that's normal. I have the same thing. Which, speaking of," I paused for a moment to make this better, my face shifting into a devious smirk. "Did you have fun last night?" _

_Harry looked confused for only a moment before his eyes widened comically in shock and blood rapidly filled his cheeks, moving down his neck and under the collar of his shirt._

"_I –uh, I have to… go do… something else… in some other room." Harry stuttered urgently, hopping up from his chair and making a beeline for the door. _

_It swung shut as I laughed hysterically. I guess it would be pretty embarrassing to know that your family knew you were getting some. _

Harry just recently started looking me in the eyes again. As I thought about it, I smirked at him, winking at him when he looked at me suspiciously. He blushed cherry red as I finished off the roll.

Chuckling, I looked around the room, my eyes first landed on Draco, as they always did. I couldn't contain the smile on my face as I watched him talk to Jasper about one thing or another, glad that they got along. I would hate to have to listen to my family bitch about my… boyfriend, for lack of a better term. I sneered slightly at the term and promised myself that I would think of something more fitting to call Draco.

I glided my gaze to the others in the room, landing on Alice as she snuggled into –Fred's? George's? -lap. The other twin was looking at her as though she were the most wonderful thing in the world, his hands rubbing her small feet. I couldn't help but smile again as I remembered Alice corner me yesterday to tell me what happened with her and her lovers.

_I was reading in the living room, something I seemed to be doing a lot of here, when Alice bounced into the room and into my lap, barely giving me time to move my book out of the way. _

"_Be-lla." She said in her sing-song voice, instantly making me nervous. _

"…_Yes?" I asked her warily, not sure I wanted to know what she was thinking. I held my book against my chest as though it would protect me from the bouncing pixie in my lap. _

_She pouted at my obvious caution. "I just wanted to tell you about Fred and George." She said, mock-hurt in her tone. _

_I let out a breath of relief and nodded, marking my page and setting my book down on the table next to me. "Okay, I'm listening."_

_She beamed a smile at me, and took a deep breath. "Well, when we first got here, I hadn't actually seen the twins yet, but I knew that here was where I would meet them. It was the main reason behind my coaxing the others to come." _

"_Oh, gee thanks." I replied sarcastically, though I wasn't actually upset about it. _

_She slapped my shoulder. "Hush, you. Anyway, it wasn't until our first night here, after dinner, that I first saw them. Oh Bells, and it was like a dream come true. They were so much better looking than I remembered…" She trailed off as he mind wandered to her men. _

_I laughed as I shook her in my lap. "Ace! Finish the story." I smiled at her as she shook her head back to the present. _

"_Oh yeah, so they were walking down the hall to the room they shared, and I was following them under a notice-me-not spell. I don't know how they did it, but they caught me just as I was getting close enough to hear what they were saying. _

"_Fred flipped around and pinned me to wall and George cancelled my spell. I smiled up at Fred and told him that my name was Alice, and that they were my soul mates." I could just imagine the look on their faces at Alice's blunt statement._

"_They were confused at first, probably at my bluntness or my assuredness, either one. So I explained to them that I was a Seer and that I had been Seeing them all my life. I told them that when I was little, and weird things would happen to me, I would think of them and all my fear would go away. I said that I knew they belonged to me because I had Seen our lives together..." Again, Alice smiled and drifted off in thought. _

_I had known that Alice had Seen these two all her life, and I should have realized they were who she was talking about the minute I saw them my first night here. Having known all her life who she was meant for, Alice had stayed a virgin, consensual sex wise, and had fallen deeply in love with the men a long time ago. _

_She had known they would meet here in Britain, but didn't know when or where; or, that was the case until she had apparently Seen herself coming here and meeting them over Christmas break._

_I smiled softly at the girl in my lap, letting her indulge in her fantasy for a few moments longer before shaking her out of it. She smiled apologetically back at me. _

"_As you can probably imagine they were skeptical at first. So, I told them their birthday, the name of their shop and what they had done when they had left Hogwarts: the fireworks in that woman's classroom. _

"_They told me that was common knowledge, and I decided to go a little deeper, give them something that I knew they had never told anyone. I said that when they were twelve, they would slip into each other's beds at night and experiment with each other. _

"_And let me tell you that got them to believe me right away. They dragged me into their room and dropped me onto one of the beds. For a minute, they just stood in front of me, looking at me, which was terribly nerve-wracking, before looking to each other and smirks grew on their faces. _

"_George looked back at me and before I even knew what was happening, he moved forward, pressing my shoulder down onto the bed, and got on top of me-."_

_I held my hand up to her. "No. I do not want to hear that." _

_She pouted at me and I tried not to look at her so that I wouldn't be drawn into the puppy dog eyes. My plan failed, however, when she began to bounce on my lap, whining my name in my ear. _

"_Alright! God, what am I going to do with you?" I muttered to myself before looking at her. "Let's keep this PG Rated: Did you have sex with them?"_

_She smiled as a small blush covered her cheeks. "I had expected it to take longer for them to get used to the idea and I didn't intend for it to happen, but… yes." She whispered her eyes alight with a happiness I had never seen in Alice before. _

"_Was it good?" I asked, already knowing the answer, just from the twins' personalities, but if it got her to be quiet about just _what_ they did, then I would try anything. _

_She smiled softened considerably and she looked into my eyes. "It was the most wonderful experience on my entire life, Bella. I'd never felt so loved before, never felt so at home… It was perfect. I knew that was where I belonged." She whispered to me. While I was glad she kept the details to herself, I smiled softly at her. _

_I let myself have a moment to be envious of the small girl in my lap. I wanted to be ready to be with Draco right now, not later. I wanted to feel that love that Alice felt, but I was still terrified of what Draco would think about me when he finally saw me. I just wished I could be as comfortable with the idea as Alice was. _

_I ignored my thoughts for the moment and smiled at her. "I'm glad you're happy, Ace. You deserve it after everything they did to you." I said softly as I leaned up and placed a kiss on her cheek. _

_She smiled back at me, her eyes telling me that she knew just what we going through my head. "Oh, Bella… Can I tell you what I know?" She asked quietly. I had always asked Alice that she keep me out of the loop about my future. I didn't want to know, because the future, while never set in stone, isn't always good. _

_But if Alice was asking me if she could tell me, it couldn't be all bad, right?_

"_Sure, Ace. Shoot." I said just as quietly. _

"_You'll get over your fear soon; it just isn't time yet. But you _will_ be happy, Bella. More than you ever thought possible after everything you've been through." She said in a tone of voice that told me to look deeper into her words. _

_I exhaled a breath I didn't realized I had been holding and nodded my head, storing those words away for later for more analysis. _

_Alice breathed deeply and sighed in content as she laid her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her softly. _

_After several minutes of us sitting there, Alice's head flew off of my shoulder and she burst out, "Oh! And there is something else I needed to talk to you about." _

_I blinked in slight shock at the rather abrupt mood shift, but nodded. _

"_You have to take Edward to Hogwarts with you. His mate is there and it's time for Edward to meet him." I looked up at her in shock, then hope, and smiled at the truth in her eyes. _

_I paused for a moment. "But I can't just leave him by himself. Someone will have to stay there and watch out for him." _

_Alice smirked at me. "Bella, I never said any of us were leaving Britain." _

_And that was that. _

After that, we rounded up the Cullens and told them the plan. We didn't tell them that it was because Edward was going to find his mate, just that I wanted to keep him close to me, which was far from a lie. Edward wasn't at all put out by this and he smiled at me, snuggling into my side.

Jasper was ecstatic that he would get to know Severus more, Rosalie was glad that she would get to stay close to Lucius, who would be taking up residence in the castle for safety. Alice wouldn't be coming to Hogwarts, though she would stay in Britain with the twins in their apartment above their shop. And while Emmett didn't have anyone to be excited about staying with, I had one boy in mind that I knew Emmett would take a liking to.

So now, here we were, the day before we all left for Hogwarts. Seeing as how they didn't celebrate New Year's Eve here, we were going back before the end of December. Dumbledore had still yet to show his face again, though he had responded to my letter of request for rooms for the Cullens to be set up in the affirmative, making me more and more aggravated every day. I knew that Harry shared the same feelings.

As I continued my search around the room, stopping on faces here and there, my fingers twined in Edward's hair as he leaned against my shoulder. I had a feeling that the rest of this year was going to be an interesting one, to say the least.

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**So, if you haven't already, go back up and read my A/N up there. It has important info. :) But, let me know what you think... unless it's a flame... Then, I will be calling you out in my next update for not having read my A/N at the top of the chapter. :) **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey! So, I finally got that chapter I was working on fixed up... Well, written at least, now I just have to go back and edit it. I'm too lazy to do it now. lol. So, Give me until Wednesday for the next update so that I can do that as well as write the next chapter. :) Thank you all for the kind reviews, I appreciate them so much, you just have no idea. They motivate me into writing faster because I know I have people wh are interested in reading the next chapter. So, keep them coming maybe? ;D **

**Well, I own nothing, and I edit my own stuff so all mistakes are mine, too. Enjoy. **

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Because I would be coming back to school with all but one of the Cullen's, Lucius and Draco with me, I was again organized a portkey that would take us to the grounds.

We arrived just outside the wards around the school about an hour before the train would arrive. Draco, Lucius, and I led my Texan family through the gates and up the path to the castle. Professor McGonagall met us at the door.

"Come along now, I'll show you all to your new rooms. You will be in the dungeons, near the Slytherin common room entrance for your comfort. Malfoy Jr., Ms. Swan, you may go along to your dorms now." McGonagall finished, not looking back at us as she led us down stairs towards the dungeons.

"It's Ms. Dwyer now, ma'am." I said, a tone of indifference coloring my voice. I knew not to disrespect this woman, as I had seen that she could be just as fierce, if not more so, than Severus.

She paused in her walking for the barest second before nodding her head and continuing down the stairs. "Of course, Ms. Dwyer. My apologies."

Draco and I did as she bid, continuing to the common rooms after she turned down another hallway in the dungeons. But before they could disappear, I caught sight of Edward trailing at the end of the group. He was shaking subtly as he looked around at the dark walls, some placed covered in slim and some other unknown substances. Having been here a while already, I sometimes forgot that this was the 'drainage pipes' so to speak, for the rest of the school.

"Hey, hold on a minute." I said to the others, walking over and taking Edward into my arms.

He snuggled close to me as the others turned to look over at why I had stopped them. I whispered softly in Edward's ear, "Honey, everything will be alright soon, I swear by it. You just have to be strong for a little while longer, then all your worrying will be over."

Edward seemed to catch the underlying meaning in my words and looked up at me with wide eyes. "You mean… Here?" Edward whispered, apprehension and excitement mingling in his voice.

I threaded my fingers through his hair. "Yes, love. Here is where you'll find your mate. Now listen to me, baby. You let it happen naturally; don't go searching around. There are more than 500 people in this school altogether, including the professors. Even if we can probably rule of the younger years, the scent could still get mixed up enough and I don't need you lost and confused, alright?" I looked into his forest green eyes and watched the emotions swirl there.

Edward was the youngest of the Cullens, only 19 while the others were in their twenties. Alice was the second youngest at 20, Emmett was 22; Jasper was 24 and Rose would be 26 in the next few months. So, chances are that Edward would end up with someone from 6th year on, and I had a feeling just who he would be with.

Edward sighed resignedly. "Yes, Bella, I understand. I won't go searching… But, can I stay with you? Please?" Edward looked up at me with soft begging eyes.

McGonagall interrupted before I could answer. "No, I do not believe that would be appropriate to have a boy in the girls' dorm-." I looked over at her, my eyes narrowed, stopping her midsentence as her eyes widened slightly at my look.

"Edward, when you meet your mate, they will be moving into your rooms with you, I'm almost positive. It's incredibly hard to resist you, love. And I will be just around the corner if you are to need me, as well Draco. I'll give you the password to the common room and later I'll show you where you can find either of us." I said softly to him, bending my head down to rest our foreheads together.

He sighed, a mix of hopefulness and sadness. "I hope they want me, Bella. Do you think they will accept me?" His voice was small as he spoke his greatest fear aloud.

While I knew there was a slight possibility that Edward could have ended up with a woman if she were dominant enough, because there were some out there; if my suspicions were correct, then Edward would end up with a man, a man I thought was a very dominant person, maybe creature seeing as how most pureblood families had creature blood in them somewhere, who could take good care of Edward.

I smiled at him. "Edward… If I know anything, I know that you are the most wonderful creature I have ever met. It is a rare decadence to be able to have you, because you are truly one of the only of your kind, if there are any others like you out there at all. That alone will make _him_ want you." I smiled as he got my hint that it was a man. Thankfully, Alice had tipped me off about that much, even though she probably already knew who it was.

Edward sighed again and nodded, pulling back from me, no longer shaking. "Alright, if you say so, Bella. I hope you're right. I don't know what I would do if…" he let the sentence trail off, but I knew what he meant.

"It won't happen, I promise." I whispered, before turning back to the group.

I looked at McGonagall. "Please put Edward in the room closest to the dorms with a connecting door to one of the others' rooms. He needs to be able to get to one of us if he needs us." While it may have sounded like my statement was a command, I made sure to add a hint of pleading to my tone, begging the woman to be compassionate like most woman were when it came to sweet Edward.

McGonagall looked into my eyes and nodded her consent. With that, I stepped back from Edward and passed him to Rose, watching as they walked down the hall.

Draco stepped up to me. "You're like his mother at times." He murmured into my ear, his arms coming to wrap around my waist.

I sighed softly, cuddling back into him. "Yeah, I think that is why he clings to me so much… because he sees me as the mother he never had. He attached himself to me a few months after I met the Cullens, and hasn't let go since. I just hope his mate is who I think it is."

"And who do you believe it is, love?" He asked quietly. When I told him, he nodded his head.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Hm… that would be a very good match indeed. His family has had Dark Veela blood running through their veins for years and I do believe he just came into his own inheritance over Winter Break." He smirked at me as my eyes lit up.

"That's excellent, Draco! Then I won't have to explain much to him if Edward is his mate, too!" I said excitedly. I now had a desperate need to see if I was correct in my assumptions and it sure helped that Draco believe so as well.

Now, I couldn't wait for the others to get back for the feast that night.

We separated to go to our dorms and put our shrunken trunks by our beds before we met again in the common room. We decided to head down to the Great Hall early. Meeting the Cullens and Lucius on our way there, we made our way slowly up the stairs.

Arriving at the Great Hall just in time for Lucius, Rose and Jasper to go and sit at the professors table while I convinced Emmett and Edward to sit with Draco and I, before the noise of students coming into the Entrance hall.

I could hear the Great Hall quickly filled up with students, all loud noises and hurried steps. The tables were filled with their respective students and our normal group sat around us.

I ignored all of this, however, in favor of staring at the two people who were currently staring at each other with soft, surprised, eyes. Two creatures that were sitting right across from each other, their eyes locked as though the entire world revolved around the other.

Edward stared at Blaise Zabini across from him, his eye alight with hope, love and lust. I heard a whining twitter leave his throat, and another, and another; a clear question from the Veela in Edward if he was acceptable to his mate. The noise continued, only stopping when Blaise released an answering twitter, a deeper more reassuring sound than Edward's questioning, desperate noise. It must have been a noise of acceptance, as Edward bit his lip, trying to hide his beaming smile and failing.

Edward moved quickly, yet gracefully, from his seat and made his way around the table, probably suffering from the thought that his mate was across from him and he wasn't able to touch him. Blaise didn't hesitate to hold his arms open for Edward, settling the smaller body in his lap. Blaise nuzzled his face into Edward's hair, resulting in a contented purr from Edward as his eyes slipped closed, a smile firmly set on his lips.

I looked up at Draco next to me and saw that he had a small smile on his face. He was probably just as ecstatic to see his best friend happy as I was to see Edward happy.

I looked back to see Blaise and Edward still completely immersed in instinct as well as each other. Once Blaise claimed Edward, the two of them should be alright; or Blaise would go back to normal… mostly, anyway. He now had a submissive to watch over, after all.

I just hoped it would give Edward the ability to function without being told how to do something.

I looked away from the two who were currently staring into each other's eyes, like before, only closer and with smiles on their faces, and turned to the food on my plate.

Now, the only other person I had left to hook up, not counting Pansy and Hermione, who were half way there already, was Emmett and for that, I would need to talk to Harry.

I finished my dinner and looked at Draco, squeezing his hand under the table, a silent message sent to him that I would be right back. I stood and walked over to the Gryffindor table, alerting Harry of my presence before I got there. He turned to look at me, scooting over on the bench to allow me access to his seat.

I smirked at him softly and leaned in, whispering, "I need your help with something." I caught his eye and flicked my gaze over to another boy across the table. Looking back at Harry with a meaningful expression, he seemed to catch my meaning.

'Who?' he mouthed to me. I mouthed back Emmett's name and Harry smirked before nodding his head.

I smiled and kissed his cheek before standing and making my way back to my table.

About a half hour later, as we all filed out of the Great Hall, I saw Harry subtly trip Neville Longbottom right in front of Emmett, causing my big oaf of a friend to instinctively reach his arms out and catch the free-falling boy.

It took all of five seconds for either of them to react. In Emmett's arms, Neville was blushing and stuttering his way through an apology as Emmett pulled him up into the standing position.

Emmett looked interestedly at the boy in front of him and a charming smile slowly spread across his face.

"Hey, no worries. I consider myself lucky to catch such handsome man in my arms." Emmett said seductively, chuckling as Neville blushed even brighter.

"I-uh-I'll just-um-." Neville was incoherent in his stutters now, looking anywhere but at Emmett.

Emmett gently stroked his hands up and down Neville's arms and said, "Hey, don't worry so much, yes? I won't bite… unless you ask it of me." As cliché as that was, Emmett pulled it off as he smiled down at Neville, his eyes dancing with mirth.

Neville was now officially speechless, staring up at Emmett with his mouth gaping like a fish. But in his eyes, there was something like awe and… was that wary hope? Did the boy have that little self-esteem?

I shook my head at the absurdity of it and nudged Emmett. "Why don't you walk him back to Gryffindor tower?" My tone was innocent as my eyes danced in triumph at my accomplishment.

Emmett stared at me with narrowed eyes for a moment before smiling and nodding his head. "Yes, why don't I do that?" He said, looking back at Neville, holding out his hand and waiting for his answer.

Neville stared up at Emmett in wonder for a few moments longer, before he nodded his head slowly, slipping his smaller hand into Emmett's, suddenly offering up a small shy smile.

Emmett returned the smile with a large beaming one, a normal thing for Emmett, and took Neville's hand, tucking it into the crook of his elbow and motioning for him to lead the way.

Harry looked at me and winked as he, Ron and Hermione followed the pair. I looked at Draco, sighing in satisfaction before reaching out for my love's hand.

We led the way back to the common room, laughing silently as we watched Blaise, with his hand on the small of Edward's back, lead the boy down the hall to Edward's rooms as Edward spoke the directions so quiet that only Blaise could hear. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen, really.

Yes, this year would _definitely_ be interesting.

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**So? What did you think? Finally, we see Edward's mate! And I thought Emmett and Neville would be a good pair. Did you think so? Let me know what you thought. I promise, in about three more chapters, things will get intersting. (wink, wink; nudge, nudge) ;) lol. Again, Wednesday, Por favor? Thank you for being patient with an OCD author! :D**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	33. Chapter 33

**So, I added this chapter basically out of my own desire to see Bella and her father bond. I felt as though they didn't get enough face time in this story as father and daughter. I just hope you all thought so, too, or you may be a little disappointed with this chapter. **

**Anyway, I hope you like my take on their new-found familial relationship and that this is enjoyable, because I liked writing it. :)**

**Oh, and again, give me another five days (Monday) for another update. I just about have things the way I want them, but some things are happening at the moment and it is gonna take me a minute to get these next few chapters done. Thank you all for being patient. **

**And let's not forget a giant THANK YOU to all of my lovely reviewers, whether it be recent or old. I have recently passed a 100 reviews! I'm ecstatic at all the lovely things that you all have said about this story, even though the first few chapters were written when I was still very new to the whole writing scene and they were kinda kid-like. It's take me two years to get this story done and I want to thank you for sticking with me and letting me know that you all liked my stuff. You are amazing. ^.^**

**So, I own nothing and all mistakes are mines. :p Please enjoy the next installment of New Start! :D**

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As I made my way down the stairs leading to Severus' office, I thought over the last week being back at the school.

I had quickly learned that Lucius had had Bulstrode brought in over Christmas break and her memory had been taken of the incident in the Great Hall. She had been seen rummaging through my things for something she could use against me, and found my memories, having cracked my code. She was expelled from Hogwarts for theft. I smirked wickedly as I imagined the expression on her face.

I wanted to laugh every time I thought about it because really, did she think she would get away with it? I was still shocked that I hadn't been pulled in for beating the shit out of the girl.

It had taken two days for Blaise and Edward to emerge from Edward's rooms, and I had laughed hysterically at the obviously possessive hickeys on both of their necks. Now, you couldn't find one without the other, Edward even sitting in on Blaise's classes, with the professors being unable to say anything due to Veela law being above Wizard Law.

Emmett and Neville seemed to be getting on fine, more than fine actually. Emmett was pulling out all the stops to woo the ever-blushing Neville, and by the looks of their relationship thus far, it was working very well indeed.

Dumbledore apparently had some Ministry business to take care of and wouldn't be back for an indefinite amount of time. I snorted in disgust at the very thought of the man, because to me, he knew that I had found the block on Harry's magic and had released it, and was running from facing up to his mistakes.

Harry and I's bond was now something that I had become very comfortable with. So comfortable, in fact, that I couldn't imagine not having it there anymore. It was like my magic: I couldn't live without it now that I knew it was there. If I were to lose Harry somehow, the emptiness that the bond would leave behind would be disastrous to my health.

Harry had finally mastered control of his magic, much to his excitement. We were now into true wandless magic as well as hand-to-hand combat, something he had a natural gift for and was making excellent progress. The wandless magic, however, was even more difficult to learn than control. Although, with the tight control Harry now had, it was coming much easier to him than it would have before.

I was on my to Severus' office to ask the man when he wanted to start the Dark Arts lessons. Harry would need as much practice as he could before the war that everyone could feel was just around the corner. Harry had finished the books from Grimmauld Place and now wanted to use some of the spells he had read about, and we couldn't do that without Severus present.

Finally reaching his door, I knocked and waited to hear his deep voice. It didn't take but a few seconds before I was told to enter.

Walking into the room, I spotted the man at his desk, a quill dipped in red ink scratching at a paper he was marking. From the looks of it, the kid did horribly and Severus was making sure to tell him that. I grimaced in sympathy for the kid and was silently glad that it wasn't me.

"Was there something you needed, Bella?" Severus asked me without looking away from his paper.

"No, I just came in here to stare at you, see what physical characteristic I got from your side." I said seriously. Severus finally did look up at me, his expression showing that he thought I was an idiot, making me smirk at him.

"Really, Dad, don't look at me like that. You, of all people, should know good sarcasm when you hear it. Of course I came here because I needed something." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I really hadn't been able to resist the smart ass comment, seeing as how you didn't get very many when talking to Severus. It told me that he had something big on his mind.

He huffed out a breath of annoyance, scowling, but put down his quill and motioned to the seat across from him.

"Impudent brat. What did you want to discuss?" Severus asked, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

I didn't respond right away, instead taking out my wand and flicking it at the door to lock and silence it.

"I wanted to talk to you about Harry's Dark Arts lessons. When would you like to begin them?" I asked, keeping my tone all business. I had already talked to Harry about going to talk to Severus about this before coming here. He had declined my offer to come with, stating instead that he wanted to get some more practice in on his own with wandless spells.

Severus hummed in the back of his throat, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I would say we could do them every Friday night, in the Room of Requirements."

I thought for a moment about Harry and I's schedules and decided that Friday would work. Were at the point where we met four days a week; Thursdays, we spent two hours on fighting, Saturdays and Sundays were spent on wandless magic, and now Fridays would be Dark Arts. I just hoped that Harry was being truthful when he said he was okay with all the effort he was putting into his tutelage.

"Yes, I think that should work just fine." I replied, nodding as I met his eyes.

"Alright, then. If that is all…?" Severus let it trail off as he raised an eyebrow at my still-sitting form.

I met his eyes across the desk, deciding to get right to the heart of what I knew was bothering Severus. "Jasper expressed an interest in courting you, so to speak."

Severus' face closed off and he replied, "That is none of your business. It is time for you to go."

I shook my head with a snort. "I think it is my business. You're my father and he is my best friend."

Severus sneered at me. "Well, if your concern lies with me accepting his offers, than you have no need for it. I have no intention in taking him up on them."

I blinked in shock. "And why the hell not?"

Severus looked at me with a curious expression on his face. "I would think it would be obvious." He said slowly, as though talking to a five year old.

"Yes, well, it isn't, so if you would be so kind…" I swept my hand in front of me in a motion that indicated for him to explain.

Severus sighed in annoyance. "Bella, what would your mother think-."

I cut him off impatiently. "Oh, don't give me that 'your-mother-wouldn't-like-it' shit. You know for a fact that she would want you happy and nothing else. Try again, Dad."

Severus' eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger, "How dare you speak to me that way? Of course your mother wouldn't like it. I refused her, damn it! I sent her to her death and now supposedly she would want me to be happy? I'm the reason she is dead, Bella. I'm the reason you grew up the way you did. It's my fault…" Severus stopped, looking as though he would cry any moment.

I sighed softly, some of my anger melting away. "Dad, listen to me. Mom was a Seer, right? Did she tell you what she saw? In the letter, I mean."

Severus looked back at me, shaking his head. "No." He whispered brokenly.

"She told me that no matter what she did to keep you, it didn't matter. If we had stayed, we'd have all died at Voldemort's hands. If we left, she would die and I would live through hell, but, and these are her words, 'all the pain you've suffered through will all be worth it in the end.' Do you think she meant that just for me? Hell no." I got up from my chair and walked around the desk, getting to me knees and spinning my father around to face me.

"Mom would want you to move on with your life, Dad; you know that. She would want you to be happy. I know she doesn't blame you for what happened; how could she? You were trying to protect us, even though it hurt you to do so.

"Do you think she'd want you spending the rest of your life pinning over a dead woman, loving her and only her, yet washed in guilt at the very thought of her? Because I don't. I think she would want you to go on to someone who was still breathing and could make your life worth living." I finished in a whisper.

I leaned up and cupped my father' face in my hands, wiping the tears that I don't think he realized had fallen. "You are a wonderful man, Dad. Strong, brave, compassionate," He snorted at that last one. I laughed softly. "You are, damn it. Just because you show the world the dick side of you, doesn't mean you don't have feelings just like everyone else. Doesn't mean that you can't sympathize and comfort people when they need it. You have a beautiful soul, Dad. Yes, you have flaws, but the people who can see past those are the people you want around you.

"You have the chance to be happy again. Please, please don't throw it away over something that you had no control over. I know that if you give him the chance, Jasper can and will do everything in his power to make you happy."

I paused and smirked wickedly at him then. "Besides, I've heard he's pretty great in bed." I laughed as Severus huffed again and sat back in his chair, pulling away from me with a glare.

When I got myself under control, I looked back at him to see him looking at me with a vulnerability that not many people got to see.

"And… you are truly okay with this? I won't…" He paused as thought fighting to force out the next words. "… I won't lose you if I say yes to him?" he grimaced in disgusted at himself.

I laughed again, shaking my head at him. "No Dad. You're not gonna lose me," I looked away, contemplating if I should say what I was thinking or not, but figured he was showing me this side of him, why not show him what I was feeling? I forced myself to meet his gaze. "I just got the father I've always wanted, I'm not gonna give you up that easy. I love you too much to let you go just yet." I whispered, my cheeks turning red at my blatant display of emotion, even as tears welled up in my eyes at the truth behind my words.

I turned away again, looking at the floor as I stood up, intent on walking around the desk to the door. I didn't make it that far, however, as I was caught, turned around, and pulled into a hug by my not-so-touchy-feely father.

I ignored my instincts to fight the hold, and instead, followed the want and desperate desire for my father's love in my heart and wrapped my arms tight around his waist, holding on as thought he would disappear the moment I let go.

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore, ruining my dad's robes and not caring. I had wanted to be held and protected by my father since I was nine, maybe even before that. Now that I had my deepest desire, I knew that I could never let go of this man again.

Severus buried his face in my hair and I felt him breathe in deeply. "I love you, Bella. When you're mother told me she was pregnant, I had never been so happy. Now, you're all grown up and I still love you with everything in me. Never doubt that you will always, _always,_ be my first priority." He whispered to me, making me lose hold of the sob in my throat as I nodded against his chest and snuggled deeper into his chest.

He kissed my forehead before resting his cheek on the top of my head and rocked us back and forth slightly. I sniffled and cried into his chest as we swayed, completely elated to know that my dad loved me and would protect me from the world. It was a feeling I had always dreamed of knowing, and now, finally, I did.

I didn't know how long we stood like that, but it was long after my tears had dried up that we finally let go of each other.

I stepped back and looked up at him with a small smile. "We never speak of this again, okay?"

"I would indeed hope so." Severus said, his lips tipping in his own smile.

"I'll see you on Friday, Dad. 7 o'clock." I said, taking down the silencing charms and unlocking the door. I cleaned up my face before I opened the door. I didn't want anyone else to know that I just cried like a baby.

I turned back and smiled softly at my dad again before leaving the room.

I thought that maybe, just maybe, my dad and I would finally have the relationship that we never got the chance to have before and I smiled as I made my way out of the dungeons.

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**So, what did you think? Let me know. :) **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	34. Chapter 34

**Ok, so this is what you have all been waiting for... Kinda. lol. This leads up to it, anyway. IMPORTANT: Ok, not really, I just wanted you all to read this. Because you all are amazing readers and review and favorite and follow, I am giving you the second part to this tomorrow, if not tonight. I just can't leave you hanging for too much longer, you know? So, because I love you so much, that is your gift. :DD **

**Now, I know this is kinda rushed and not very detailed, but the next chapter, I think, turned out alright. ;) **

**Anyway, on with the chapter. **

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It was cold out still as I sat up in the Astronomy Tower, music playing from my iPod. I wrapped my arms tighter around my legs to ward off some of the cold.

It had been month since my talk with my dad and things were pretty quiet… aside from all of the sex. It was like people had realized that there was a war coming and they might not make it so they decided that they didn't want to die virgins, or something. I grimaced in disgust at the thought.

I let out a soft breath as Just A Game by Birdy began to play in my ears. I leaned back from my knees and rested against the wall, my eyes slipping closed and I sang softly.

Thinking back over the last month, I let a sigh slip past my lips as I smiled gently. Severus and I had gotten on great after our tear filled moment in his office. I had taken to visiting with him, helping him brew on Fridays after our lessons with Harry. Other times, I would simply go to see him and we would talk about mom and their time together. I thought that it helped him get past his guilt and sorrow over losing her.

In the Great Hall, I would see him and Jasper together at the Head Table, chatting about one thing or another, completely engrossed in each other. After some pestering on my part, Severus finally snapped and said that he had agreed to let Jasper 'woo' him. I hadn't stopped smirking at him until he had kicked me out.

Blaise and Edward were almost inseparable. Blaise could always been seen cuddling Edward as Edward just soaked it up like a sponge. There were times that the Light Veela in Edward would make him growl at Blaise, but it wasn't a threatening noise, just old instincts that came to the surface sometimes. Apparently, for the first time ever, the Light and Dark Veela in Edward had the same mate: Blaise. There had never been a case where a Light Veela bonded to a Dark Veela, but Edward had, yet again, trumped the odds in his favor.

It was rather adorable to watch them, though. They were the cutest things I'd ever seen.

Emmett and Neville had moved incredibly fast, and you could hardly catch the two apart, except when Neville had class. Seeing the two of them together made me a true believer in all of the lovey-dovey Soul mate crap people –Alice- spouted. While it wasn't nearly as adorable as Edward and Blaise, the fact that Emmett treated Neville like a he was a precious artifact, something that Neville still griped at Emmett about, saying he wasn't a girl and could take care of himself, was indeed, very cute.

I smirked again, chuckling evilly as I thought next about Hermione. After my talk with Severus, I had talked to Pansy, who I knew had a crush on the know-it-all Gryffindor, about just what I had observed of Hermione over winter break.

If the smirk on Pansy's face was anything to go by, Hermione was in some serious trouble.

Not three days later, I was walking down the hallway and heard a moan coming from one of the alcoves ahead. Walking towards it, I saw Pansy pinning a flushed Hermione to the wall. They were so distracted by each other that they didn't even notice I was there. Instead of breaking up their fun, I had just walked away, intent on teasing Hermione later.

I had given Blaise, Pansy and Theo their gifts and they had liked them, though they were nothing they couldn't have gotten themselves. I mean really, what the hell do you buy for people who have everything they'll ever want and you don't really know anyway?

I had gotten Blaise some really nice gloves for when he played Quidditch, seeing as how his pair was old as hell. Theo had gotten a gift certificate to any apothecary in the magical world for whatever the hell he wanted. Pansy had gotten a gold necklace with a pendant that was so blue it was almost purple, the color of her eyes.

Harry's Dark Arts lessons with Severus were going amazingly well. Harry used Dark spells as though he was born for it. I pitied the Death Eaters that got in his way. At first, Harry had shown obvious signs of being drawn completely into the seduction of the Dark Magic, but on Saturdays, I had also included a little lesson of that on my own. Having taught myself to resist the Dark magic, I gave Harry some tips on how to do it himself. He was doing exceedingly well now, and was well on his way to being able to take on Voldemort and his Death Eaters. I was truly amazed at just how fast Harry learned when he felt strongly for something.

Other than that, classes were the same as they always were: boring. The only real difference was the aforementioned sex, the new relationships, and the fact that I had my wonderful family here.

Now, I was facing my next problem. Draco's birthday was two days from today, which would mean it was Saturday. And I had no clue what to get him.

This wasn't like Christmas, where neither of us had gotten each other anything. This was Draco's birthday, the day where he would officially be 17. I was almost positive that Draco wouldn't care if I got him anything, but damn it, I wanted to make it special!

That's why I was currently sulking in the Astronomy Tower. I had to come up with something that would be special to a boy that had enough money to buy the world.

It was nearly midnight when the idea hit me like a freight train. I almost smacked myself at how long it took me to think of it.

I smirked as I thought that this would be a very special birthday for one Draco Malfoy.

The next two days seemed to drag on as my nerves mounted. I had even contemplated asking Alice what happened just to calm myself. I mean, what if he didn't like the idea? What if he thought it was too soon? What if _I _wasn't ready for this? Quite a few times I was forced to strengthen my resolve.

Finally, Saturday was here, February 5th. I woke up and immediately bolted out of bed, getting ready and heading out to meet Harry by the kitchens so he could ask the elves to help me out.

I really loved house elves. They were… cute in a… creepy way, and while it kind of scared me when they punished themselves, they were all sweet little creatures that loved serving Harry Potter. I smirked at him as they praised him, making him scowl at me and tell me that next time he wouldn't help me if I didn't stop laughing at him.

At around ten, I headed up to the seventh floor to prepare for the night. I had been and would continue to purposefully ignoring Draco all day, which I hope he didn't take too much offense to, so that I could surprise him. Otherwise, I'd have told him just to ease the stress that was building inside of me.

By the time dinner came around, I was very nearly shaking as I made my way down to the Great Hall, catching sight of Draco walking in the door. I snuck up beside him and gripped his hand, jerking him to the side and into a hidden corner just before he had stepped inside.

He spluttered as he fumbled for his wand with the opposite hand that he usually uses, having a little bit of trouble.

"Hey, Draco, relax. It's just me." I said softly, smiling at him.

He seemed to relax slightly, only to tense again as his face and eyes hardened against me. "What do you want, Bella?"

Damn it. My ignoring him _had_ offended him. Well, we couldn't have that, now could we?

I sighed softly and smiled apologetically. "Come on. I have a surprise for you." My smile grew into a faked beam. I was trying to push down the guilt that I had upset him, but I should have known that being ignored by the girl you loved on your birthday would be more than a little upsetting.

He protested as I pulled him away from the noise of the Great Hall, but didn't fight my hold on his hand. He let me lead him to the stairs, but I stopped before we could go up them.

I turned around and said, "Sorry, but I want to keep this a secret for as long as I can." Seeing as how he was so much taller than me and I couldn't hold my hands over his eyes comfortably, I spelled a blindfold over his eyes and moved slowly up the stairs, directing him for when to step.

It warmed my heart the Draco trusted me enough to let me do this with him having no real idea where we were going.

Up seven flights of stairs, I led him down the hallway to the Room of Requirements. "Now, wait here. And no peaking!" I said as his hand made for the blindfold.

"Bella…" He sighed, almost whining. I laughed.

"No. We're almost there, I swear." I couldn't keep the smile out of my voice as I paced three times in front of the expanse of wall.

When the door appeared, I swung it open and took Draco's hand again, leading him inside.

Letting go of his hand, I reached up with gentle fingers and stroked across his cheek before slipping the blindfold off.

"Happy Birthday, Draco." I whispered softly, watching as his eyes widened as they moved around the room.

The room was done in black and green, a large king sized, four-poster bed taking up most of it. Off the right, there was a fire place, a warm fire already burning. I had set up the food from the kitchens in front of it on a blanket, like an indoor picnic. The other standard furniture, dresser, bed side table, were on the opposite side as well as a door that led to a large bathroom with an amazing tub.

Draco eyed the food for a minute, probably remembering that the Room of Requirements could give anything but food, and I laughed softly. "Don't worry, love. I brought that here from the kitchens earlier today."

Draco relaxed again and looked back at me. "You did this for me?"

I rolled my eyes, not being able to resist. "No, I did it for Dumbledore," I said sarcastically before laughing at his expression. "Yes, I did this for you, Dray. You didn't really think I would just ignore your birthday, did you?"

I stepped closer to him and he wrapped his arms around me. "I didn't see you at all today… I tried not to let it bother me, but…" Draco said softly.

I rested my head against his chest. "I'm sorry. I wanted to surprise you and I didn't think that I could look you in the eye and pretend that it wasn't your birthday."

I looked back up at him and reached up to grip the back of his neck, bringing him to me so that I could kiss him.

We pulled apart after a few moments. "Come on, love. Let's eat." I whispered.

The house elves had really out done themselves for Harry, making everything they thought we would like and anything that I requested they make. Draco's favorite was lamb, while mine was steak and the elves had made sure to pack an abundance of it, wrapped in status charms to keep it fresh and warm. They had also included wine, one of the very best brands, and a multitude of desserts, which included many different fruits and chocolate to dip the pieces in; a small vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream icing with Draco's name spelled across it, and an assortment of different chocolates. Did I mention we both loved chocolate?

We ate our fill, eating most of the chocolate, before we opened the wine. Draco met my eyes as he poured my glass and I couldn't help but blush at the heated look he was giving me. We were sitting close, our hands almost touching as we leaned back on them, our legs curled loosely to the side of us.

I almost couldn't look at Draco as I thought about the rest of his gift. It was something that I had been thinking about for a few weeks now, and I truly felt like I was ready… I was just nervous as to what he would say.

Soon, we were both done with our first glass and Draco asked me if I wanted more. "No, love, I'm finished." I said softly. I refused to get drunk if I was to do this.

Draco didn't refill his own glass, either, simply putting the wine to the side and looking back over at me with a small smile on his face.

His hand reached out to me and cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking over my skin. "Thank you, Bella. This was wonderful." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine.

I bit my lip as he pulled back. I stood up and reached down for his hand. He accepted my hand, but he didn't actually use my help to get up.

I led him over to the bed, actually shaking now as my nerves mounted even higher. I felt like a virgin sacrifice and it was pissing me off at the same time that it was scaring me.

I turned to look at him as I stopped by the side of the bed. His eyes were alight with something that I couldn't quite place. "There… there is another part to your present, Dray."

With that, I stepped close to him, pressing myself against him and leaning up to kiss him. Draco immediately wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me up to his height. I wrapped my legs around his waist and arms around neck, putting everything I was feeling into the kiss.

Draco pulled back first, breathing heavily against my lips as he looked deep into my eyes, like he was trying to see into my soul. "Bella… You don't have to do this if you're not ready. I can wait as long as you need me to." He whispered his voice filled with a love I had never felt from anyone else.

It was that, that selflessness that made me want to do this. But at the same time, I felt a small amount of fear. I didn't know why, but I figured I needed to know before we went any farther.

I looked away from his gaze as I let my mind wander to my emotions.

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**So, what did you think? I know that it was kinda disappointing to end it hear, but it was getting way to long. lol. If you want the next part tonight, you best type a comment in that box down there as a bribe. ;) So, review for the next chapter tonight! :D**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	35. Chapter 35

**Because I got so many reviews, I couldn't leave you hangin' until tomorrow. So, without wasting another moment, here is what you has all been waiting for... SEX! :DD lol**

**WARNINGS: Sex. Also, This is my first Het sex scene, as I usually write slash, so if it's awful, I apologize. :p And, I had to watch the guidlines for the site, which I'm sure I've broken thousands of times, so I tried to keep this a little less graphic than I would have liked... :'/ lol.**

**So, if any of you are skittish with sex, skip most of this chapter, but the bottom part is pretty important, so read that, if you would. ^.^ **

**Onward, hoe! lol.**

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While I thought about it, I almost considered backing out, wanting to be sure that I really did want this. Instead, I analyzed what I was feeling in the moment.

Love, because Draco was perfectly willing to wait until I was ready for this. Lust, because really, Draco was the sexiest man that I had ever met and I had been attracted to him since the moment I met him. Fear… I didn't know why I was afraid, actually.

Was it because I was afraid he would hurt me? No, that wasn't it at all. Was I afraid that I was only doing this for his birthday and not because I was ready? No, not truly. I had thought that I was ready for some time now. Was I afraid that he wouldn't like what he saw? …Yes, that was exactly the problem.

"I'm afraid you won't like what you see." God that was fucking cliché but at the moment, I couldn't care less. I didn't meet his eyes as the silence hung in the air for a moment.

Finally, Draco moved, setting me down on the floor, making me bite my lip in despair, my thoughts now on the real possibility that Draco could be thinking the same thing.

Instead of doing… something else, before I knew what he was doing, his hands were at the hem of my shirt, pulling it up slowly. "Draco…"

"Shh. It'll be alright, love. Let me show you that I'll love you no matter what." Draco whispered, his hands now spread across my stomach, his wrists catching my shirt and pushing it up as his hands moved up and over my rib cage.

Despite my wariness, I closed my eyes and let out the breath that I had been holding. Damn, his hands felt good, so soft and warm. I focused solely on the feel of his hands gliding across my skin, wiggling a little as his fingers tickled my sides.

His hands stopped moving when he reached the fabric of my bra, instead twisting to grip the shirt and urging me to lift my arms so that he could slide the shirt off completely. I did as Draco bid and let him remove my shirt, hearing the rustle of fabric as it hit the floor.

I kept my eyes closed as I felt Draco's gaze sliding over my torso, taking in the scars and tattoos that littered my skin. I felt soft fingers trace my mother's face before they moved to outline the Natural Rights across my hips and the 'Fuck You' on my ribs.

I had another tattoo on my arm, the symbol from my father's necklace just in case I had ever met him and given it back. There was one on my right thigh of a black rose sitting in a puddle of blood, to represent the death of my mother. I really hoped Draco liked tattoos, because I intended to get more…

… And why the hell was I thinking about this with Draco's hands on my body?

I let my eyes slip open and meet Draco's. His eyes were filled with a hunger I had never seen before as they glided up to mine.

"You're so incredibly beautiful, Bella. I'm going to make you see that if it's the last thing I do." With that, he pulled me into is arms again and kissed me hard.

I lost all ability to think as I kissed Draco with all I had. Nothing mattered outside of this moment.

Draco's hands moved up my back to my bra, unhooking the clasp. I felt the straps slipping down my shoulders, no longer giving any kind of support to my large breasts. His hands pulled the straps over my shoulders, stepping back just enough to let the piece of material fall to the ground.

The immediate urge to cover myself was ignored as Draco pressed his body back into mine, holding me close. My hands reached up to begin fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, wanting to feel us skin on skin, but his closed over mine and he pulled back.

"Ah, ah, ah. Isn't this my birthday gift? That means that I get what I want first." He whispered seductively, his wicked smirk making me wary, yet again.

He stood back again and his eyes roved over my figured, lingering for a moment on my breasts. My nipples pebbled under the weight of his eyes, as well as the open air hitting my skin. Despite my instant urge to cover myself, I let him look at me, secretly enjoying the fiery lust in his gaze. His eyes slipped down to my jeans, where they narrowed slightly.

Having slipped our shoes off before the night got started, he reached out and unbuttoned my jeans before hooking his thumbs into the sides and pulling them down, going down to his knees to get them completely off. His face was level with my stomach as he sat at his full height, and he leaned forward to kiss the skin softly, heading down again toward my panties.

Stopping briefly to lick across the words spanning my hips, making my body shudder, he raised his hands to pull down my lacy black underwear. They slid to the floor soundlessly, and I stepped out of them, and my jeans, leaving me standing there completely naked with Draco fully clothed.

Now, how in the world was _that_ fair?

He spotted the tattoo on my leg and, looking up at me from under his lashes, moved to kiss the rose softly. I bit my lip, my eyes filling with tears as I realized that Draco knew what it meant and was, as it appeared to me, trying to make the pain go away.

Pulling away, his eyes moving to linger on my hairless pussy, he forced himself to stand. "Get up on the bed." He whispered, motioning with his head as he spoke, his eyes hooded in lust.

I nodded silently and moved back, sitting on the edge for a moment before I pulled myself up onto the high bed, and lying in the middle on my side with my head propped up on my hand, my eyes on Draco.

Draco smirked at me again, before moving his hands up to the buttons on his shirt, slowly pushing the little pieces of plastic through their silken holes. I watched his nimble fingers work the buttons free, my tongue flicking out the lick my lips. My eyes moved to each new patch of skin revealed to me, because even though I've seen him half naked before, this was truly a sight I would never tire of.

Finally, the shirt was slipped off of his shoulders, falling to the floor. His hands slid slowly down his chest, teasing me as he felt his own hard muscles, to the waist band of his trousers and –again with the buttons?- undid the buttons, before pulling those down. The only thing that was left was his silken boxers, green this time.

I could see the outline of his hard cock in the material, telling me that what I had assumed from having felt him through his clothes before was true: Draco's cock was long and thick, bigger than any of the other's I had had, and my god, did I want him so fucking bad…

Slowly, oh so slowly, Draco hooked his thumbs in the band and inched the silk down over his hips, stopping before they could slip over his cock, flashing groomed white blonde pubic hair at me. I glared up at him lustfully, if that was possible, and he let out an evil chuckle before he continued his torture.

Finally, his cock sprung free, bouncing as it was released from its confines. My mouth popped open in shock at the beautiful thing that I was currently staring at. It was just like him: perfect.

Before I could stop myself, I moaned lowly, "Oh god…"

Draco chuckled again, his boxers now completely gone. Slowly, he moved toward the bed and crawled toward me. "You like what you see, then?" He whispered teasingly against my lips.

I groaned. "You know I love what I see, jerk," Then, my hand flashed out and I grabbed his hair in a gentle but firm hold. "Now stop teasing me." I growled before smashing our lips together again.

I had never felt this wanton before; not in all the years that I had been used, even when there had been some who wanted to make me feel something in order to humiliate me more, it had never, _never,_ been like this. I wanted Draco more than I wanted to breathe and I didn't think I could wait too much longer before I had this man.

Draco seemed to be in the same mindset as he wasted no more time in rolling me on my back, climbing over me and settling between my legs. We groaned together at the first touch of skin on skin. We may have been in this position many times, but never without clothes and it was brilliant, unadulterated ecstasy.

Draco pulled back and growled in frustration. "Damn it, Bella. I wanted our first time to be different… slow love making after hours of foreplay. Not… not just fucking." He looked at me, his eyes alight in hunger as well as the love he felt for me.

I panted out, "Dray, I love you. I love that you want this to be special, and it will be. It isn't like this will be the only time; we'll have the chance some other time to learn each other the way you want. But right now, I can't wait any longer. Please, _please,_ take me. Please." I begged him, something in me breaking at the thought that he would suddenly want to slow down when all I wanted to do was have him. If he didn't get to it soon, I would be tying him to the bed and taking what I wanted.

He looked at me for a long few moments, his eyes moving over my body before he groaned again and leaned down to claim my mouth once more.

His hands seemed to take on a mind of their own as he slid them to my breasts, making me moan as he pinched and pulled at my nipples softly. He kneaded the flesh in his large warm hands, his pianist fingers digging gently into my skin. His hips moved against mine as we fought for more friction.

"Please, Draco, please." I whimpered against his lips, loving the growl that echoed from his throat. He broke the kiss and took his right hand, bringing it down to his cock and positioning it at my entrance; forcing himself to slide in slowly.

I gasped at the stretch, having not had anything in me in more than three years, and I had never been with anyone this size. I panted and lay still as Draco and I both watched him sink into my body.

Finally, he groaned as he was fully seated and he looked back up at me, reaching out to grip the back of my neck and haul me up for a kiss. He leaned back on his haunches, taking me with him, making me sit on his thighs with his cock nestled deep inside my tight hole. I cried out in pleasure and pain as I felt his cock slid in a little deeper than I had ever thought possible.

We sat there for a few moments, his cock deep inside my body, our chests pressed together, and trading kisses. After a while, I thought enough time had passed and experimentally lifted up, a few inches sliding out and moaned at the feeling of his cock moving inside me, before I slid back down.

I did it a few more times, each time letting more of his cock slip out. Draco's face was a mask of pure concentration, letting me do what I wanted. Only, that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted Draco to lose that tightly held control and fuck into my body like we would die tomorrow. Watching his face, I squeezed my muscles around him and held that way before letting go and tightening over and over again.

Draco seemed to lose it then, growling as his hands gripped my hips and lifted me off of him until just the head rested inside me, only to drop me again, groaning with me as I tightened around him again instinctively.

Draco began a frenzied pace then, the thought of slow love making completely pushed out of both of our minds. Now, we were set on pure fucking, our bodies clashing almost roughly as I bounced in his lap with his hands on my hips, guiding how fast he wanted me to go. This went on for god knows how long as I writhed in pleasure. Draco was amazing in bed.

"Fuck!" Draco yelled before I felt myself falling back on the bed. I was too distracted by the pleasure coursing through me to care all that much; however, when Draco began to truly pound into me, I noticed.

"Ah! Draco, please!" I moaned, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, burying my head in his neck and my teeth in his skin; thrusting down at every one of his upward thrusts, and loving the feeling of his cock being inside me. Never again would I live without this.

One of his hands travelled down my body and his fingers moved between us, finding my clit and rubbing at it roughly.

"Draco." I whimpered as the pleasure doubled. He growled possessively, a noise I had never heard from his before.

"Mine." He said into my ear, and I nodded.

"Yours, Dray, all yours. Always." I said back, resulting in a particularly brutal thrust.

"Come for me, love." Draco groaned.

Like a switch had been flipped, I came on his command; my mouth open to scream though no sound came out, tightening almost impossibly around him, inhibiting his thrusts slightly. He groaned my name again as the milking of his cock became too much and he followed quickly after me.

His arms began to shake as he tried to keep himself from falling on top of me. In response, I tightened my hold in his shoulders and jerked down a little, causing his arms to completely give out. I breathed out in content as his body rested on top of mine. Yes, he was a bit heavy, but I wasn't prepared to let him go yet, so I continued to hold on.

After a few minutes, Draco lifted his head tiredly, staring into my eyes for a moment, before he leaned down to kiss me sweetly.

I finally relinquished my hold on him, only to reach up and cup his face lovingly, holding our mouths together. I let him eventually and he rolled slowly to the side, pulling me softly to his chest.

I closed my eyes in bliss, not caring as I felt Draco's come leak out of me slightly. Call me crazy, but I liked the feeling so I decided not to do anything about it.

I was almost asleep when I heard Draco's voice. "Bella… I love you. Never forget that."

There was a hint of pain in his voice and it shocked me awake. "Dray… What's wrong, love?"

Meeting his eyes tiredly, he shook his head with a small smile. "Nothing, love. I just want you to know that I love you and that no matter what, I always will. And… and Bella?" he said softly, fear flashing in his gaze for just a moment before it was hidden again: but I had seen it.

"Don't always take things at face value, alright? Because not everything is always as it seems." He whispered ominously, making my eyebrows draw together in concern.

Before I could ask what was wrong again, however, he said. "Goodnight, love," and he placed a soft kiss to my forehead as his eyes slid closed.

I stared at him for a minute longer, trying not to dwell too much on what he said. Laying my head back on his chest, I fell into an uneasy sleep.

I would come to find, however, that something was indeed, very, very wrong.

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**Okay, so, what did you think? Not my best personally, but I digress. Besides the sex, however, the plot thickens... even more! :D lol. I'll try to have the next chapter up by Friday, if not sooner. Tell me what you thought! **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	36. Chapter 36

_LIFE PROBLEMS:_** Hey! So, last night, I completely forgot to update, because I got a virus on my computer earlier that morning and I thought that I might lose all of my stories that I couldn't get from here and it freaked me out. That problem has since been fixed however, and all my chapters are safe with a copy on my flash drive. So I apologize, but I is back now. **

_A/N (a.k.a STORY UPDATES):_ **As of today, I will be updating every other day... For no other reason then to build suspense and make you want to read more. *insert evil laugh* ;)**

_THOUGHTS ON CHAPTER:_** Anyway, about this chapter. HEY! HEY, LOOK UP HERE! Ok, now that I have you attention. ;) This chapter is the intro to the rest of the story. It is very important to read... not that you all don't ever read the chapters... Aside from my moment of weirdness, I just wanted to warn you that to me, this chapter seems a little bit fast paced. I tried to edit it and make it seem slower and more like the build up that imagined, but didn't happen. My only consolation to the crap that I wrote in this chapter was that it is my first time ever writing something like this, which you'll see more of in the chapters to come, and it being my first try, I believe I did alright, even if it isn't how I thought it would turn out. **

**Alright, you can read the chapter now. :) **

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The next morning, I rolled over in the bed, back to the side that Draco would be laying on, only to find an empty place where the warm body used to be.

A horrible feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and tears were stinging my eyes as they opened to see what reaching out had already told me.

Draco was gone.

His side of the bed was cold, making me guess that he hadn't been in bed for at least an hour. Sitting up, I looked at the bathroom to check if he was there, but he wasn't. Everything in the room was exactly as we had left it.

It felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest as I looked around and found no sign that Draco had even been there, aside from the food that was still sitting by the fireplace. A few tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them as a sob tried to work its way out of my throat.

I curled my knees up to my chest, folding my arms around them and burying my face into the comforter covering my nakedness.

This was by far, the worst feeling I had ever felt. I didn't know what to think. I had thought that last night had been wonderful, at least for me it had been. Why would Draco leave?

I don't know how much time I spent crying before the anger took over. I viciously wiped my tears away, sniffling. Flinging the covers from my body, I moved out of the bed and towards the bathroom, my movements jerky and stiff.

I turned on the shower and stepped into the scalding water, not caring that it was hot as fuck, just that I was so angry I couldn't see straight. I scrubbed my hair and body roughly, not worrying that I was pulling out strands of hair as I vigorously rubbed the shampoo into my head.

My pink flesh glared brightly as I stepped out of the shower and looked in the mirror. I eyed my neck and saw love bites that I hadn't realized Draco had put there the night before. I glared at them as the hurt and betrayal welled up inside me even stronger even a sick happiness settled in my heart at the thought that Draco had marked me as his.

Jerking on the fresh set of clothes I had brought, I dried my hair and put on more make-up than usual, the black rings of eyeliner reflecting my mood. Telling myself I couldn't be bothered with healing the marks on my skin instead of admitting that I liked them there, I left the bathroom.

I spelled the room clean, the food going down the trash in the kitchen. My magic snapped around me, responding to my emotions. I had to stop and force myself to calm down before I left the room.

I cast a tempus and it showed that it was just before breakfast, though I wasn't hungry. I decided to walk to the dungeons to grab a book, and calm down. I refused to acknowledge the thought in my mind that said I just wanted to see if Draco was there.

My steps were slow and deliberate, calm on the outside and raging on the inside. How dare Draco say he loved me then disappear the morning after? Was I just some girl who he wanted to fuck and now that he got what he wanted, he just left me?

If I had been thinking logically instead of angrily, I would have remembered that Draco wasn't that type of person. That he did love me or he wouldn't have said anything to me about it. He wouldn't have told me what he did, shared with me the things he had, just to dump me after he slept with me.

And most of all, I would have remembered what he said before I fell asleep the night before.

But I was angry and hurt and I was still fighting tears, trying to concentrate on keeping my mask in place, so none of these thoughts came to mind. The only thing I could think of was the need to get the hell away from doubts about Draco that continued to taunt me.

_Of course he wouldn't want me. Why the hell would he? I'm broken. Ugly, scarred, can't give him kids. Why would he choose me when he could have someone else? I'm so stupid to believe that he wanted me, that he actually loved me. Damn it!_

As my mind continued to torture me into tears, I didn't see Blaise until I had run right into him, hitting his firm chest hard.

I looked up glaring as arms wrapped around me to keep me steady. Blaise caught the tears in my eye instantly, his own narrowing in concern.

"What's wrong, Bella? What's happened?" Blaise had known what I was planning for Draco so that he could keep Draco out of a pit all day after I ignored him. Apparently, it had only worked enough for Draco to shut Blaise up, but I put that thought aside as I continued to glare up at Blaise.

"Nothing. Let me go." I demanded, jerking from his hold roughly.

Blaise didn't relent with his gaze. If anything, it only got more intense. He opened his mouth to start in on his questioning again.

But before either of us could say anything else, my father walked up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Bella, you are needed in the Headmaster's office. You will accompany me there. This is not negotiable." Ignoring Blaise completely, he used his hold on me to lead me in the direction of the Headmaster's office, his steps quick and silent.

"What's going on, Dad? I'm really not in the mood." I said icily, not caring about disrespect in that moment.

"I don't care what your mood is. This is an urgent matter that you are needed for and it will not be discussed until we are in private." Severus replied stonily, his gaze remaining planted on the path ahead of us.

It was then that I realized that, under his hard mask, he looked afraid, anxious. It was then that the anger vanished and my logic mind kicked in. All my thoughts of anger at Draco vanished as the worry settled in. The only reason why I would be needed would be if something had happened to either him or Harry.

The rest of the walk was silent as my mind went over all the possible reasons as to why I was being called up to the Headmaster's office, my worry and fear mounting with every new thought until the desire to run to the Headmaster's office was almost too much to resist. We stopped in front of the gargoyle and Severus said the password.

Walking into the room, I saw that Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Hermione, Ron, and Sirius were all present. They all looked up at me when Severus and I entered the room.

Ron jumped from his seat, charging me until he stood a mere few inches from me. "Where did your boyfriend take him? Where is Harry?" He demanded, his eyes wild and furious.

I looked over at the other faces in the room in confusion, but made the connection of Draco's disappearance and Ron's words quickly. I turned to Dumbledore, whom I hadn't seen in almost two months, for conformation.

He sighed heavily, the twinkle absent from his eye. "Bella, it seems that we may have a problem."

He paused and looked into my eyes. "Both Lucius and Draco are gone. As is Harry. We hadn't wanted to make the connection between the disappearances, because as you know, Lucius has been a spy for our side for a few years now. But early this morning, when Severus was called to Voldemort, our suspicions were confirmed. Draco and Lucius had hand-delivered Harry to Voldemort as a way to get back in his good graces."

Dumbledore stopped talking as I shook my head back and forth. "No. No, it's not possible. They wouldn't do that, I know they wouldn't." My voice was firm, sure in knowledge that they would never go back to Voldemort.

Ron scoffed at me, crossing his arms over his chest. "You really believe that? Those two were always loyal to You-Know-Who and they always will be."

I was on Ron before he could blink, my hands wrapped in his shirt and his body pinned to the wall. "Don't talk about them that way. I do believe you were there when they showed up at Grimmauld, Draco covered in blood and Lucius almost in tears. You heard what he said." I hissed angrily.

I was grabbed by the shoulders gently, Rose's soft hands pulling me back. "It's okay, Bell. We don't believe it either. There has to be some other reason, just sit down and we'll try to figure it out, okay?" Her voice was soothing, though I could hear the hint of sorrow.

Of course Rose would understand. Her and Lucius had quickly formed a bond between them and they were already as close as Draco and I were and we had had months to get used to each other. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if they hadn't already admitted their love for each other.

I backed off, releasing Ron's shirt and letting him up from the wall, the both of us breathing hard. I sat down with my head in my hands and forced my emotions to take a back seat, putting my logical mind to thinking about what could have possibly happened.

Draco had been with me last night, and I could guess that Lucius had been with Rose, at least for most of the night. They could have met up after they left us and taken Harry.

But why? Why would they take Harry? They had to have been threatened into doing it. They couldn't have done it willingly. What could they possibly have gained from taking Harry? I knew neither of them wanted to be back with Voldemort, if only to be away from Narcissa.

But all of the evidence was there. It all pointed at the very obvious conclusion that Draco and Lucius had nabbed Harry. And Severus being called to a meeting that no doubt had Voldemort gloating about his acquirement of Harry only solidified the assumptions the others had made.

There had to be something else going on here, something that wasn't easy to see. But what could that be… My head flew up from my hands as I suddenly remembered Draco's words from the night before.

"_Don't always take things at face value, alright? Because not everything is always as it seems."_

Of course! It had to have been forced, no matter what it had been made to look like. Why else would Draco say something like that to me if there wasn't more to it than what it appeared to be? If he didn't want me to look below the surface and see something that wasn't made obvious to the others?

Something was wrong with this whole picture, a major piece of the puzzle missing.

But… how would we get to them now? Maybe Severus would know how to get there, if he had seen Voldemort that morning.

As if sensing that I would ask, Severus spoke up. "I do not know where they are keeping them. They are not being kept in the same location as where the meetings are held. I do know, however, that Lucius and Draco were also imprisoned."

It felt as though my world had shattered and I let my eyes slip closed in despair. That information would only make the others think that they weren't forgiven, even after they had taken Harry to Voldemort.

To me, that meant that they were threatened with something that they felt was important enough to get a reaction out of the Malfoy men.

They were not only hurting my little brother, but also the man that I intended to keep for the rest of my life. Despite the circumstances in which I had found myself in, a vicious smirk spread across my face as I thought of all that I could do to the ones who had hurt my family.

Now, I just had to find a way to them.

I grimaced absently and stroked at the skin of my chest where the pendent lay.

I snapped my eyes open and could have slapped myself for my own stupidity. How could I not have felt such strong emotions earlier? Finally aware of it, I turned my focus immediately to the fear and pain thrumming through my bond with Harry, the ache in the scar on my hand and the necklace tattoo only making it more obvious. I could find him through this! Surely they were keeping Lucius and Draco in the same place.

I stood abruptly and looked around the room.

"It's not what you think. Draco and Lucius didn't do this freely, I know it. And-." I was interrupted by Ron, yet again.

"Of course you'd believe that. You love Malfoy. What's to say that you didn't help them?" Ron snarled.

I narrowed my eyes at him dangerously. "It appears to me that you forgot just what took place before we left for school." I whispered dangerously.

As Ron's eyes widened in remembrance of the bond that I shared with Harry that he had been witness to, another thought hit me. Draco had been there, too. He had known what the bond entailed. Draco had known I would figure this out. Of course he would know that I would think of it and know that I could find them. I gave myself a moment to feel pride at just how Slytherin my love was.

Draco hadn't done this on purpose. He had warned me last night that something was going to happen, knew that I had information the others didn't. He had known I would figure it out and would be able to save him, Harry and his father. I just hoped I made it in time.

That just hardened my determination even more.

I looked to Dumbledore and said, "Get the Order to Grimmauld. I know how we are gonna find Harry and end this war."

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**So, what did you think? I don't like cliff-hangers myself, but the next few chapters have a lot of them. ;) Anyway, go back up and read the A/N up there for info if yuo haven't already. And be sure to let me know how you thought I did, if you please. Thank you! :DD**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	37. Chapter 37

**Well, as promised, here is the next chapter. I think I'm going to add the last four chapters over the next four days so that all of you readers can start your weekend before school starts, if your in school, off on a good note. ^.^ **

**In the chapter, I tried to explain things pretty well. I think I might have knocked off a few Order members, but that's as many as I always thought there were. I did quite a bit of research for this chapter as well as the next one, which you will see why soon. Also, this is one of my longest chapters yet! The next few are also super long, so I hope it makes a few of you happy. lol. **

**I'm a little nervous, seeing as how this is my frist time writing stuff like this, so a review of what you thought, what I could fix, what I can do different would be AMAZING! Unless you intend to flame me, then you will be subjected to public ridicule. :) **

**Anyway, now I'll quite talking and let you read. **

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Sirius, who had been oddly quiet the entire time we had been in the Headmaster's office, traveled through the floo first, opening the floo for the rest of us to come through. I followed after him, then Ron and Hermione; the Cullens came through next with Emmett being the last person in.

I immediately made my way into the dining room, the others following me. A soft pop rang through the room and I turned to see Severus standing in the corner.

"Albus is summoning the others. They will be arriving shortly." He said even as the other members of the Order showed up quickly.

I paid no mind to the people arriving, simply sitting down and thinking over the game plan. I knew that I had to get to Harry, and soon. Who knew what they were doing to him. It killed me to even think that they were hurting my little brother, and I'd be damned if they got away with it.

I purposefully ignored the pain, fear, and helplessness coming through the bond. If I looked deeper into the feelings, I'd lose it completely.

About twenty minutes later, the room was packed with people and Dumbledore had just arrived. He opened his mouth to speak.

"I have called you all here tonight because we have received news on a very serious matter; one that demands immediate action.

"Early this morning, Harry Potter was abducted from Hogwarts," He had to pause at the immediate cries of outrage, and some in fear, for their Savior. I was paying just enough attention to have to hold back a snarl at the fact that most of these people only cared about Harry being the boy who was meant to save them and not for Harry as a fellow human being.

Dumbledore held up a hand to silence the room. "I know you all have questions, but please allow me to finish." They were quiet again and Dumbledore continued. "He was taken by the Malfoys, and has been delivered to Voldemort. We have been led to believe that it was a way for the Malfoys to be redeemed in his eyes."

Again, they began to yell; only now it was to spit out nasty comments about the Malfoy men.

"Those rotten Malfoys; filthy Death Eaters to the end-"

"Never should have trusted those two, should have thrown them out-"

"How could they get Harry out of Hogwarts without being detected-?"

At this point, I had heard enough of their comments about my lover and his father. I looked to Dumbledore with fire in my eyes, silently asking to take over, and he wisely nodded his consent.

I stood and, raising my hands above my head, threw them down and onto the table in front of me. The smack of my palms on the hard cherry wood table resonated around the room, shutting everyone up. A little overdramatic, but it got their attention. Despite the awful sting in my hands, I smirked humorlessly at them, my eyes showing just how aggravated I was.

"Now that I have your attention… I'm going to tell you why the Malfoys are not, in fact, 'filthy Death Eaters.'" I said calmly, though I was far from it.

My eyes closed and my jaw clenched as the noise level rose again, a muscle in my forehead ticking in my anger. People were yelling at me, saying that I had no idea what I was talking about, that Dumbledore wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't true. I kept my eyes closed and took deep, calming breaths, counting silently to ten, letting them get it out of their systems for another minute.

Finally, I'd heard enough of their bullshit. "Oh shut the fuck up and let me talk!" I yelled to the room, my hands flinging out in an exasperated gesture, at my wits end with these fucking people. The longer they talked shit, the more they could be hurting my family. I laced my voice with a silencing charm, affectively shutting everyone up.

I smiled a humorless smile, my eyes narrowed dangerously. "Thank you. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" I released the silencing charm, but asked the magic of the house to force them all to sit down. I almost laughed at their expressions when they were all forced into chairs.

"Now, despite what it may seem, I know the truth. Draco and Lucius didn't take Harry to get back in Voldemort's good graces. Ah! Don't you fucking dare," I hissed in warning, holding up my hand as they, again, thought to get loud. "No, I don't think that because I'm fond of them; I know it to be true."

I placed my hands back on the table in front of me and leaned forward. "See, Lucius has been a spy for the Order for about three years now. I know that you all believe that this is proof that he wasn't, but you also don't know why he became a spy."

I paused to lick my lips and steel myself with a deep breath, letting it out through my nose. "When Draco was fourteen, Lucius…" I had to stop and swallow the bile that rose in my throat. I sent out a silent plea that Draco would forgive me for this before I continued. "Lucius discovered that his wife had been sexually molesting their son since he was five and that she had begun to rape him when he was nine."

People around the room gasped in horror at the revelation of Draco's past. From the looks on their faces, they were thinking the same thing I always did: how could a mother do that to her own child? Whether or not Draco would be angry at me for telling them didn't matter at that moment because it was exactly what I needed to tell them to get them to believe me.

With a renewed sense of hope, I spoke again, my voice subtly persuasive. "He had thought about joining the Light for a time before then, because his wife had become one of Voldemort's whores when he was resurrected, but that discovery had pushed him into it.

"That, coupled with the fact that a few days before Christmas, Lucius was discovered as a spy and as punishment, they beat his son half to death, makes me wonder just why a man who would do anything to protect his son go back to the very people who hurt him?" I stopped again, my eyes moving around the room, trying to decipher if my words were making them think more.

"Lucius Malfoy has been a Death Eater since he was a teenager, just graduated from Hogwarts. He would do anything to serve the Dark Lord, include put his son in danger. If you really want me to believe what you say, you'll have to better than that. " A man with one good eye and a magical eye that moved around wildly said, snorting in disgust at me. I grimaced at the way the eye roved over me and the room before my face hardened as his words registered.

I looked right at him, staring him down as I spoke dispassionately. "Yesterday was Draco's birthday. We spent the night together in the Room of Requirements; yes, doing exactly what you think we were doing." I smirked at Mrs. Weasley's scandalized gasp and the Weasley Twins' wicked grins before coming back to myself.

I took another deep breath as I let my mind wander back to last night. Draco had been… scared, I know he had been. I knew Draco, had felt his magic with my own. I knew that last night, he had been warning me. "Before we went to sleep, he told me… he told me not to take things at face value… that not everything was always what it appeared to be." I went to continue, but I was stopped by Rose's gasp. I looked over at her, meeting her bewildered and slightly frightened eyes.

Her voice shook a little as she whispered. "Lucius said the same thing to me last night. I didn't understand what he meant, but…" She trailed off, her eyes taking on a faraway look.

I could understand completely. I wished I could let the emotions overtake me like they were her, but I knew I had to take control of this situation. I had to find my little brother before it was too late.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and continued. "I didn't know what he meant, either. Until now. Draco wouldn't have done this willingly. He wouldn't have gone back to a place where he knew he would be at his mother's mercy, where he had just barely escaped from with his life."

I looked up and around the room again, my eyes meeting the other occupants'. "You all don't know Draco the way I do. You don't know the secrets about him that I do. I know the horrors he was put through by the very people you all seem to think he would oh-so-willingly go back to. I know that if Lucius were to ever go back, Draco wouldn't… couldn't go with him."

I let my eyes linger again on the man with one eye. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face, his magical eye swiveling between me and Rose. "So, if what you are saying is true, and the Malfoys… warned you that something was going to happen, why didn't they take it to Dumbledore? Why give clues to two girls who haven't even been a part of this war but for a few months? Explain that to me." He demanded almost arrogantly, like he knew he had caught me in something I couldn't explain.

I smirked at him. "Well, I can only guess that Lucius told Rose because he wanted her to know he wouldn't betray her the way it seems, just like I felt Draco had betrayed me," My eyes met Rose's for a minute and hers filled with tears. Damn, she had it bad for Lucius.

"Draco, however, is a different story," I paused and transfigured my shirt quickly into a tank top that would show my necklace tattoo. "Draco was privy to information that only three other people know; me, Ron, and Harry.

"For Christmas, I gave Harry a necklace that matched my own, something that would be helpful if a situation like this one ever arose. But, the gift involved a ritual for it to work the way it was intended; a very dark ritual. A blood bond."

I lifted my hand and showed them the ugly scar on my palm from the bond. "Harry and I performed the ritual here just before we went back to school. It bound us together as brother and sister. Draco and Ron were the witnesses to the bond.

"However, there was a reason I picked this present for Harry. The bond is not your normal blood bond. It was used in ancient years, usually for when lovers wanted to be closer than a normal bond, but also for things like I have with Harry.

"This bond gave Harry and me the ability to feel each other's emotions. It gave us the ability to feel is the other was in pain," I paused and roved my eyes over the room again. "It gave us the ability to track each other." I saw the dawning understanding on the others' faces, even though they were still skeptical. Hell, I was skeptical, but it was all that I had to go on.

Besides, who better to know a fellow Slytherin's way of thinking than their Slytherin lover?

"I know you all are skeptical, but I know Draco. I know how he thinks, the way his mind works. I know that he knew I would figure this out," I locked eyes again with the one eyed man. "You have to trust me on this. I know what we need to do, but you have to put your faith in me and not question my strategies."

The room was silent for a moment as they thought over my request. Finally, they began to nod one after another.

The one eyed man, I really needed to learn his name, said, "Alright. What's your plan?"

I smirked before I hardened myself, preparing for a war I knew we were desperately out-numbered for and looked to Jasper. "Jay, go pack your bag." He knew what I meant and stood from his chair. He walked swiftly to the fireplace and was gone in a flourish of green flames.

Stepping back from the table, I spoke as I began to transfigure my clothes. "You'll need to wear something that is flexible, black, and can hold weapons; preferably that hides most of your skin." I said firmly, my voice brooking no argument.

I changed my tank top into a long sleeve thermal shirt with a small V-neck so that it wasn't constricting. The sleeves were loose enough so that you couldn't see the knife that I would soon be attaching to my arm, nor my wand holder. I had luckily worn my boots today, loaded with my usual weaponry. Taking one of the knives from my boot, I slipped it into my sleeve and strapped it to my forearm, just to have easier access to it, and to make room for my very favorite knife.

My pants were changed into black cotton capris that went just below the knee and covered the tops of my boots, tight but easy to move in with big pockets on my thighs. They hid my knives from view but gave me easy access to them.

Next, I quickly pinned my bangs back from my forehead with two conjured bobby pins. Then, I took my hair and pulled it up high, twisting it around and around until it formed a bun like Professor McGonagall's.

Turning back to the room, I saw the only people who hadn't been watching me and were actually doing as I said were the Cullens, who had all seen me like this before when they had trained me to fight. The rest were shocked and awed as I prepared myself for battle. While I could sympathize, we didn't have the time.

"Come on. If you need help on what to dress in, I'll help, but we don't have time for you to just sit there." I commanded.

It knocked most everyone into action, though not all. Most of them copied me and transfigured their clothes into similar things as mine. The people who did nothing were ones that I suspected were more comfortable in what they were wearing, more used to it: Severus, the man with one eye, Remus, Dumbledore, and a few others that I didn't care to worry about.

A few minutes later, Jasper came through the floo dressed in the way that I had described to the others, carrying a large black duffel bag. Setting it on the table, he unzipped it quickly.

"Alright everyone, were going to give you a little lesson on Muggle warfare." He said as he looked up, smirking at the room.

Immediately taking different weapons out of the bag, he handed different ones to different people. I almost couldn't stop the laughter I felt bubbling in me at peoples confused and lost expressions as they looked at the equipment.

"Why are we using these… things?" Severus asked with mild contempt in his voice as he gestured to the people holding one of the weapons.

I raised an eyebrow at him, looking at him as though he, of all people, should know. "We are going against Muggle-hating, pureblood wizards who always rely on their magic. They won't know what hit them when we bring these in instead of using just our wands."

This seemed to satisfy the others in the room. Immediately, their demeanors changed and they began to handle the weapons with less caution and more determination.

As Jasper went over how to work each gun, I went to the bag and pulled out the knife that Jasper had bought me a couple of years ago. The only reason I didn't have it with me was due to the size of the knife. The blade was 8 and a half inches long, 2 and a half inches wide and made of pure silver. It was the size of my forearm and, while it wasn't the size of a machete, it was much too big for me to carry on an everyday basis. I was glad Jasper had remembered to grab it.

Leaning down, I slid it into my left boot, tip first, the holder of the blade resting on the side of my calf. It was then strapped it to my leg, the strap wrapping under my knee. The handle went up passed my knee, but I had learned from experience that it wouldn't be uncomfortable.

Next, I grabbed a semi-automatic pistol from the bag, slamming the magazine into the magazine well and grabbed two more to put in my large pockets. I slipped it into the back of my pants, ready for when I needed it. Not the most comfortable thing, but I'd get over it.

I looked around the room at the others, all of them now following Jasper's instructions on how to work their respective guns. The only people who refused a weapon of any sort were Dumbledore, Severus, and the one eyed man. I just hoped nobody actually fired in the house. It wasn't a pretty sound, a gunshot.

I bite my lip as doubt crept into me. There were only about fifty people here. There were, no doubt, a few hundred Death Eaters. Maybe we'd get lucky and not all of them would be there. I just hoped our surprise and Jasper's amazing military training got us all out alive. I shook my head and forced the doubt away. Everything would be fine. It had to be.

I turned my attention to the bond I had with Harry and followed it to the source. I had never done this before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was surprised to see that I was… seeing through Harry's eyes. He was in a dark place, and I could see bars in front of him before he shut his eyes again and I could see nothing.

"Harry? Can you hear me?" I asked softly, hoping against hope that the bond worked this way. Even though I could see what Harry saw, he wasn't anywhere that let me know how to get to him, so he had to tell me or it would take us longer to find him.

"Bella? Oh Gods…" Harry sobbed back to me. A few hours and Harry, my strong, brave, loving little brother, was reduced to sobs. What had they done to him?

"What happened, baby boy? What have they done to you?" I asked angrily, not being able to hold back my anger.

"Bella… it hurts so much. I tried… I tried so hard to fight back but…" Harry sobbed again, not being able to continue. I knew how he felt. I had felt that too, that first time Charlie had tortured me. I also knew that no amount of training on my part would help him if he had felt anything like I had.

"It's okay, sweetheart. We're coming for you, and then they'll pay for what they did. You just have to stay strong for me honey." I whispered comfortingly.

"No! Bella, that's what they want. They want you all to come for us." Harry said urgently, momentarily forgetting his own pain. His concern for other people really knew no bounds.

"Then we're going to give them what they want. We have a little something up our sleeve, love. Don't you worry about us. Just tell me where you are, darlin'."

"We're in Malfoy Manor. The dungeons." As he said this, he sent images of where he was to me.

"Alright, baby. We'll be there soon. Just hang on for me, yeah?" I knew that Harry was in a lot of pain from the bond. They had done a number on him in only a few short hours and I was scared to see what they might do given too much longer.

"Oh and Bella?" Harry whispered. Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Don't be mad at Draco. He did this to protect you." Harry whispered.

My eyes widened in realization at just what Draco had been threatened with. That stupid, idiotic, sweet boy! Didn't he know I could take care of my damn self? …I ignored how much it warmed my heart that Draco would risk his life for me.

Harry chuckled and I remembered that I was still in his mind and he could hear me. I scowled even as I told Harry that we'd be there soon and to save his strength for when we got there. I left Harry's mind and came back just as Jasper was finishing up.

"Harry's being held in Malfoy Manor, the dungeons," I turned to my dad. "Do you know how to get us there?" I asked him.

He nodded his head even as he paled slightly. "Bella… if they are being held there… he isn't enjoying his stay." He said vaguely, knowing I could imagine what he meant.

I nodded gravely. "I know. Harry's in a lot of pain already, meaning that we need to get there. Now. But the thing is…" I paused and met Jasper's eyes. "He says they are expecting us. This is what they want, for us to come to them."

Jasper looked thoughtful for a moment before he smiled maliciously, gesturing to the duffel bag that was empty. "Then we'll just have to give them what they want, won't we?" He said devilishly, knowing that we had something that they had no clue about. I shared his malicious smile for a moment before turning my attention back to my dad expectantly.

Severus nodded his head, cleared his throat and said, "I'll send you all an image of outside the wards of the Manor."

Getting the images, I nodded and committed it to memory. "When we all get there, we'll discuss our next course of action." I said to the room, receiving nods from the others.

Sirius spoke for the first time all day. "The wards have been lifted enough for us to apparate from the house." He said softly.

I nodded and the pops began around the room, signaling disapparition.

I watched the others leave with soft pops, until the only people left were Severus and me.

I turned to look at the man. "You be safe, okay?" I said softly, resisting the urge to hug my dad, knowing that I wouldn't be able to let go. I had just got him in my life and I damn sure didn't want to lose him. I'd do anything to keep him safe, just like the rest of my loved ones.

He just nodded his head before stepping forward and gripping the back of my head, he bent forward enough to place a gently kiss to my forehead. Letting go, he apparated to the others.

I took one last look around the room, checking to be sure that nothing was left behind and giving myself a moment to send a prayer to whatever deity that would listen that we all made it back safely before I followed him to Malfoy Manor.

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**So, thoughts, questions, concerns? Again, any kind of constructive criticism or anything would be great. ^.^ Thank you. See you next chapter! :D **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	38. Chapter 38

**Ok, so here is the next installment! :D I'm both excited and nervou about your thoughts on this one. **

**THOUGHTS/CONCERNS: Ok, so I researched really hard for this chapter, having no prior knowledge to anything I wrote, and I still don't think I did it justice. Just a fair warning, I am stupidly new at writing about things like this and if I messed something up, mixed up info, and you happen to know more about it then me, let me know. I will fix any mistakes. **

**Also, I tried to make this part dramatic, but I have no clue if I succeeded. Please feed a nervous author with support and/or constructive criticism? :)**

**WARNINGS: A little bit of gore. Not too bad, but there are a few mentions of blood and dead bodies so I apologize if you are freaked by it. :p**

**So, on you go. **

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Landing outside of the wards that surrounded Malfoy Manor, I couldn't help but stop and stare at the outside of the place. When I had come here over Christmas break, I had used the floo and had only seen the part of the house I had been led through. While I had guessed that the place was ridiculously large, I never could have imagined something this big and overly extravagant.

The sun glared brightly at its highest point in the sky, letting me know just how early in the day it really was. We wouldn't be protected by the darkness; there would be no camouflage in this. It would all be out in the open today, nowhere to hide.

Shaking my head to knock myself out of my stupor, I turned to the other people around me. They were all watching me, waiting for my next instructions. That caused an uneasy feeling to settle in my stomach. I mean, it wasn't every day you had 50 people looking to you for direction. Trying to ignore it, I turned to look at Jasper.

"I assume you gave the designated guns to people who you thought were best to use them?" I asked needlessly to him, knowing the answer already. Jasper had handed out all different kinds of weaponry, ranging from sniper rifles, to the normal everyday revolver, to 20 inch machetes. Only a few people received a rifle or a machete, however, because rifles were mainly for medium to long range shooting and we would need more people up close and personal, and we needed more people with guns than sharp objects.

As Jasper nodded, Severus suddenly hissed in pain and his right hand flew to his left forearm. "The Dark Lord is summoning his followers." He said through clenched teeth.

"Do you know where to?" I asked slowly with a sense of foreboding filling me. I moved toward him in comfort, but I knew I couldn't stop the pain so I kept my hands off of him.

He met my eyes, "Here."

I paled slightly. That meant that they really had been expecting us. I should have expected this. Harry had said that they knew we would come and I had known that we were drastically outnumbered. How I could still be thrown for a loop when my assumptions were proven correct was beyond me.

I turned back to Jasper, knowing that he would know what to do. He came forward and gripped my shoulder, bending down slightly to look into my eyes. He must have seen my worry and fear catching up with me after trying to suppress it for so long and realized that I couldn't handle commanding these people anymore because his voice was soft as he spoke.

"Why don't you leave this military stuff to me, darlin'. You got them this far, and very well if I do say so myself, but now you need to worry about getting to your family. I'll take care of the planning from here." Even though I knew I couldn't do it, I was still a little uncomfortable relinquishing something this important to me to someone else. But of course he was right. I had to get to Draco and Lucius, get them to safety; prep Harry for the battle he was about to have with Voldemort, which I was very reluctant to do seeing as how Harry had already been through so much in these past few hours.

With the emotions I was feeling trying to erupt from me like a fucking volcano, I didn't need the added stress this was going to cause. Besides, I didn't have the 'Commander' air that Jasper had, and I was sure these people would listen to him more so than they would me.

I nodded my consent as I again pushed my feelings on a back burner and focused on my plan to get to the dungeons.

Jasper released me and turned to the others, his demeanor hardening into that of a man in charge. "Alright everyone, listen and listen well because I don't have the time to repeat myself. We can't waste the time to take down the wards, so they'll know we're here as soon as I open that gate. It isn't ideal, but it's all we have, so we'll need to be careful."

He turned hard eyes to Severus, letting them soften only slightly at the sight of his lover. "What should we expect when we go in, Sev?"

Because who else would know better the strategies of the Death Eaters than a Death Eater?

Dad, who had recovered from the burning pain of being called, meaning Voldemort has stopped his futile attempt at getting Severus to come to him, ignored the way Jasper used a nickname for him; though he glared as he spoke. "I expect that, if they do as they always do, they will underestimate their opponents. They will come out here to meet us when the wards are breached, wands ready, and won't expect," He gestured around at the guns the people held ready with a small sneer. "What you all have put together, even if they were expecting you."

Jasper paused to think for a moment, his eyes calculating. No longer in command, I was now a soldier being commanded by the man-who-knew-everything-about-war-and-battle-tactics himself. I listened intently when Jasper spoke again, his voice commanding all of our attention.

"Because we are so desperately outnumbered, we'll be going in in teams. I'm gonna send y'all in first," he pointed to six people this time, three of them holding submachine guns while the other three had machine pistols. "If they're gonna come to us, we're gonna cripple 'em as much as we can from the get go. You'll move in just as soon as you see the first people come out that door.

"I'll be sending you," Again, he gestured to six more people, them with semi-automatic pistols like my own. "In behind them. Y'all are to watch their backs. They will be too busy with working their guns to do much of anything else besides, hopefully, keeping up a shield; so you will be there to watch their asses as well as your own.

"I'm going to send you around the sides, two on the left, and two on the right." He said as he pointed to the four people he had given rifles to. I noticed with a start that what they were wearing had been changed to camouflage outfits that soldiers wore to hide themselves in the brush. I wondered briefly when they had done that, but didn't worry too much. Jasper must have thought it best.

"You are to hide in the trees on the sides of the yard and wait for stragglers to come out after the others. This way, you can hit 'em from the back as the rest of us hit 'em from the front. You wait until they try to get past the first two groups, then you make your move. I expect you won't get far enough back to shoot the front people, anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"As soon as I open this gate, you'll go through, before anyone else moves in. That way you can get into position quickly. Move stealthily and try to stick to the gate all the way around so you won't be seen before you're needed.

"The rest of you, will be going in with me, after the others have taken out as many as they can, hopefully evening our numbers with theirs a little more. The ones who have the machetes," He gestured to four other people. "Y'all are to flank me, because we'll be heading in to the heart of the battle, after everyone else, and start making some heads fly. Literally." He finished with an evil smirk.

He turned to me then and asked, "Anything else you need, honey?"

I nodded absently as an idea finally struck me on what I needed to do. I looked at my dad. "Do you know how to get to the dungeons?" He nodded in the affirmative and I continued. "Alright, then I'm gonna need you to come with me; lead me there." Again, he nodded.

Turning again, this time to the other Cullens, sans Edward, who was safe back at Hogwarts with Blaise, I said, "Y'all will be coming with me, too. We know each other's fighting styles and we can work better together then we can with other people." They nodded as well, not arguing with my logic.

Ron and Hermione stepped forward and Ron said firmly, "We're going with you. Harry's our family, too." Ron looked at me as he spoke, one of the only people who knew of their relationship, and told me with his eyes that he was going no matter what I said, so I might as well agree. I sighed in resignation, and a little understanding for his predicament, and nodded.

I looked around for one other person and found him already looking at me. Sirius' face was a cold mask, but his eyes conveyed his fear for us, his hope that we stayed safe, and his love for his little family. He nodded at me, both of us knowing now wasn't the time to have an actual conversation about this. I nodded my head back in a promise that I would bring them back safely; that I would bring Harry back safely.

Having everything I needed, I looked back to Jasper and nodded my head. He returned my nod, both of us silently wishing the other luck and telling the other to be safe.

Looking back to the fleet under his command, he spoke again. "All of y'all… Be safe. Watch your asses and stay aware of what's around you. And for God's sake, don't forget you have magic and that you know how to use it. Just because we're going in like Muggles, doesn't mean we aren't wizards and witches."

Done with his little speech, he said to me, "Y'all will go in with me and we'll watch out for you until you can get inside. If you go in first, you might get hit in the crossfire and we can't risk that." I nodded my head, even as he turned away from me to look at my dad.

Walking swiftly to him, Jasper pulled Severus into his arms and a passionate kiss, right there in front of everybody, holding the back of his neck to keep him close. He pulled back after a few seconds. "You be safe, baby. I just got you in my life and I damn sure ain't ready to lose you." He whispered, his voice so low that I wouldn't have heard had I not been standing so close to them.

Severus looked into his eyes for a moment; his cheeks flushed softly in embarrassment, before clearing his throat and whispered emotionally, "We are going to work on your English when this is over." I couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled in my throat. Trust Severus to turn something sweet into an almost insult, even if it was his way of returning Jasper's sentient.

Jasper snorted, his eyes showing that he knew what Severus meant and wasn't insulted. He pressed another quick kiss to his mouth before he hardened himself again and turned away, back to the gate we were standing in front of.

"As soon as I open this gate, the rifles go in and to the sides. I don't care which two go which way, just get to position as quickly as you can. As soon as you see those doors open and people start coming out, the first group will go in, followed by the second. Except those with the machetes, the rest'll go next, and then Bella and hers will go through. We five will follow them up the path." Jasper finished and smirked wickedly, his eyes vicious in their need to see bloodshed.

Dumbledore spoke for the first time since I had started speaking back at Grimmauld. "Jasper, I'm afraid I won't be helping you. I'll be going straight to Voldemort. He'll need a distraction until we can get Harry to him." He said firmly.

Jasper tilted his head to the side in acknowledgement, but didn't comment. Instead, he directed his words to the rest of us, "Let the heads start rolling."

Then, he raised his wand and blasted the gate open.

The rifles went in quickly, running hunched over down the sides of the gate to the trees that line the sides of the house. The air was thick with silence and tension as we all waited for the Death Eaters to show themselves. Everyone's body was tense in preparation for what was about to happen. I took out my gun and pulled the slide back, cocking it. Other people were doing it too, by the sound of it. I held my gun steadily. My eyes were trained on the door to Malfoy Manor about a half a mile up.

The seconds ticked by slowly; my heart was pounding in my ears and the only other noise I could hear was my own breathing. My body grew even tauter with each passing moment, until finally, we felt the shift in the air.

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

Time sped up again as the doors burst open and people poured out of the Manor. Spells flew in our direction before the dots had even grown to human size.

The Death Eaters were flying, though not on brooms. They were cloaked in black smoke as they flew into the air, charged the gunmen in the front. They were going in all directions, something unexpected yet from the looks of things, it didn't seem to be affecting the first group any.

As soon as the doors had come open, the first group had gone in, though they didn't start shooting until they were close to half way up the path. The sounds of the machine guns going off were ringing in our ears as they aimed at anything that moved at them.

The second group had follow by then, covering them in the few seconds that had gone by since the doors opened, firing spells and bullets at the people the first group missed. By now, there were flying Death Eaters everywhere. The ones that had flown up and tried to go over were hit quickly and with a thud, their bodies fell to the ground one by one.

The two groups were forming a wall between us and them as the machine guns were fired in all directions, taking down a few of the ones who thought they were smart enough to get past them by going higher, the shots ringing out around the yard. While they didn't have the best aim, the machine gun fired off enough bullets at once that it almost didn't matter. Almost. That was why the second group was sent in.

As the Death Eaters tried to move around instead of up, they were taken down by the rifles as they passed by. Jasper had chosen the people with the best aim for those guns, and it showed as the body count climbed higher and higher.

This had only been going on for a few minutes at most and already the number of Death Eaters was dwindling drastically. Dumbledore made his way through them all, firing off spells even as he walked to the doors to get to Voldemort.

Jasper then signaled the last people to go in, firing their guns at the enemies. Some of the Death Eaters were holding their own pretty well, and some were realizing that they were fucked and just start firing off spells at random. My eyes took it all in from our place walking up the path. We were far enough back that we wouldn't be hit, but we were moving towards our goal all the while.

We would be going in to the heart of the battle, right in the center of all the bloodshed, and getting up close and personal with Death. We would need Jasper's protection if we were to make it to the doors safely, because while the path wasn't very long in essence, it was long enough that with coverage, we would be left open for too long and could be hit.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was really only five minutes, we were far enough up the path and then we were running, running, running, through the fallen, bloody bodies, the rain of bullets and flashing lights of spells.

Heads were, literally, flying as Jasper led the way through the carnage and the other four with blades were surrounding us, protecting us on our way through. Adrenaline was pumping hard through my veins as I laid people out with bullet holes in their foreheads and their brains splattered out behind them.

People were retreating from us now, running in the same direction we were, back to the house and away from the bloody mess the Malfoy's front yard had become. I couldn't blame them, they were losing and they knew it; but alas, I couldn't let them get to Harry before me either, so I put bullets in any part of them that I could reach. I smiled deliriously at every body I dropped, the satisfaction that I was killing the ones that had hurt my family over and over again becoming too much.

I heard other guns being fired from next to me, telling me that Emmett, Rose, Alice, Ron, and Hermione were okay and still running with me. Severus shot spells off, Dark spells that I had only ever read about. My wand had slipped into my hand just before we had started to run, but I had long since given up the pretense of using it. I didn't have time for torture, so a bullet to a vital body part would have to suffice.

We were stepping on and over fallen bodies, crushing bones in our haste. I couldn't pay attention to my surroundings, just that I was running low on ammo and would have to reload soon. My gun locked when I had shot my last bullet. Without stopping, I reached into my pocket and got one of my back up magazines and slammed it into the magazine well, pulled the slide back again and started shooting once more.

Finally, we were at the door, and inside the building. I was breathing hard, my heart was pounding in my chest and my legs were throbbing from the physical excursion. But I didn't stop, didn't turn to check on Jasper and the others; didn't care. I knew he could take care of himself. I fell behind Severus, the rest behind me, as he led the way to the dungeons, and to the remaining members of my family.

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**So, thoughts? Let me know if I messed anything up with the little bit of info on weaponry that I gave. I tried my best and that's as good as I can do, but if anyone has more knowledge about that type of thing then I obviously do, feel free to let me know. :) See you in the next chapter! I wonder who our dear Bella will run in to on the way to the dungeons...? ;)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hi! So, first, I wanted to say thanks to those of you who gave me your feedback on what I've done with this story. :) I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. This is the second to last chapter, not including the epilogue. I hope I keep making you happy until the very end. ^.^**

**WARNINGS: Torture, plain and simple. I tried to keep it to a minimum, but I'm sure you can visualize what I wrote pretty well. Mildly insane Bella, as well. Not too discriptive, again, but... lol**

**On with the story! :D**

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We made our way quickly and quietly through the Manor, Severus leading us through the twisting hallways and down winding stair cases. The only noises heard were our breathing as we made our way to Harry.

We were almost there, I could feel it. Just a few more hallways… We were passing by one of the hallways when something massive suddenly flew at us, ramming into Severus before he could even raise his wand, throwing him into the wall. A huge man held my dad pinned to the wall, barring his teeth and snarling at him, his mannerisms telling me instantly that he was a werewolf.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Snape, leading Order members to the dungeons perhaps?" A high pitched, cold voice that I knew all too well said. My eyes narrowed, before my face stretched into a gleeful smile.

I tucked my wand back into it holder and took on an easy stance, turning slowly away from my dad, holding my gun behind my back, and saw Narcissa Malfoy standing with another woman. The woman had bushy black hair, tattered clothes and an insane look in her eyes; a Black.

"Hello, Narcissa, so lovely to see you again." I said sweetly as I moved forward a step, still aware of my dad being pinned to the wall a few feet behind me by a huge feral werewolf. Narcissa and the other woman had their wands out, but I was passed caring. I would be taking down the other bitch if I had to, but Narcissa was going to die right here.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends? I'm afraid we're rather new here." I said mock-regretfully, my eyes shining maliciously.

I knew we didn't really have the time for this, but I was almost sure none of the Death Eaters were anywhere close to Harry and the Malfoy men at the moment, what with the war going on outside. Nonetheless, I'd have to make this quicker than I would have liked, but no less fucking painful, that's for sure.

Her smile was cold and vicious as she met my eyes. "Of course; how rude of me. This is my sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. And that, is Fenrir Greyback."

I nodded once, remembering Lestrange from Harry. She had thrown Sirius through the Veil. My eyes were still on Narcissa, however, the smug bitch. The look on her face told me that she knew something I didn't, and it worried me. She had done something to Draco; why the hell else would she have that look on her face? I almost couldn't hold myself back from just lunging at her again.

"Pleasure." I drawled. "Sorry I have to do this so soon after making your acquaintance." I said as I revealed my gun and pulled the trigger twice quickly, taking out Bellatrix's kneecaps. Her legs gave out and she hit the floor, blood spurting everywhere. She had to suffer too, after all, for what she had done to Sirius.

As soon as she fell, people began to move. Narcissa let out a harsh scream and had her wand on me, causing the others to pull their own out. Fenrir lunged for my dad, his teeth gleaming in the torch light from the wall. Ignoring Narcissa and not wasting any time, I reacted.

Quicker than I had ever moved before, I had my 8 and ½ inch silver blade out of my boot and had thrown it at the werewolf before his teeth could make contact with my father's skin. The long blade sunk cleanly into the werewolf's back.

The look in my father's eyes when he thought he was going to be bitten by a werewolf will forever be burned into my retinas.

More adrenaline was being forced into my body as my fear spiked with the thought that my dad would get hurt. I ran towards my dad, not aware of the duel with Narcissa behind me, as Fenrir hit his knees, howling. He fell sideways as the silver took hold of him, his body rejecting the organs the blade touched.

I took my dad's face into my shaking hands. "Are you okay?" I whispered urgently, my voice quivering.

He nodded his head as he swallowed, taking my hands away from his face and into his own. He glanced over my shoulder and nodded in that direction. I turned to see Narcissa pinned to a wall with Rose's wand at her throat.

She looked over at me and nodded to Narcissa. Now that I knew my dad was safe, the anger returned with a vengeance. I let go of my dad's hands and walked towards the pair.

On my way, I bent down and yanked my knife from Fenrir's body, ignoring his whimper. I wiped it hastily on his pants, cleaning the blood from it. Looking back, I saw that the blood oozing from the wound on his back was black, not red, and the skin surrounding the wound was slowly turning black as well; an effect of the silver no doubt.

Leaving him to die slowly, I continued to Narcissa, slipping my gun into the back of my pants and casting a nonverbal spell as I went. I was going to kill this bitch right here, painfully.

Bellatrix was still screaming, her wand forgotten in her pain. I let her scream and kept my eyes on the blond whore in front of me. My spell had Narcissa stripped of all clothes. Another spell had her hung spread eagle in the air by invisible ropes.

I stepped forward and, ignoring her nakedness, looked up at her with a smile. "I always knew I'd be the one to kill you; vowed to be the one after you hurt _my_ Draco. Now, I get to make that vision come true."

She seemed to forget that she was hung naked and defenseless in the air for a moment as she hissed angrily. "_Your_ Draco?! He's mine, you little slut!" Her face smoothed out suddenly, morphing into a victorious smirk. "I proved that to him just this morning, in fact. I made sure he'll never forget just who he belongs to." She said smugly, her triumphant eyes looking at me.

It was as though all the air was knocked from my lungs, my blood stilling in my veins; my heart had stopped beating in my chest. She had… oh god, she had touched him again! My sight went red as another spell left my lips before I realized it. It was a spell I had been dreaming of using on her since I had first heard what she did to my man.

Immediately after the spell took effect, she began to scream. I smiled insanely at her screams, a sick joy spreading through me.

Another scream was blocking out the noise, though, and it was pissing me off. I turned and narrowed my eyes at Bellatrix.

"Oh shut up, you little bitch!" I yelled as I pulled out my gun, aimed and pulled the trigger, a bullet sliding cleanly into her temple. The noise of the explosion rang through the hall. She fell to the side into the puddle of her own blood and grey matter. I looked away indifferently, tucking my gun away again, back to a naked Narcissa, who had just begun to bleed as her skin and muscle ripped apart on one of her legs. Good, I hadn't missed the best part.

"Oh God, please stop! It hurts!" She screamed as one leg slowly began to detach from her body.

"Oh, are you not having fun? 'Cause I'm having a fuckin' blast!" I laughed at her.

"Kill me! Please kill me, just make the pain stop!" She screamed again as the skin of her leg tore completely. We heard the crack as her leg as it broke.

"The first limb and already begging for death? Pussy." I sneered delightedly, enjoying her pain and humiliation. It was what she had put Draco through; why not have to suffer some herself.

She screamed even louder as blood poured from the spot where her leg used to be, which now sat on the floor, still twitching slightly.

I turned my insane eyes onto the others, Emmett looking at me in concern. "You guys go on. I'll catch up…" My voice was wispy as I trailed off. Narcissa screamed again and I looked back up at her.

I heard their footsteps as they left me to my bloody revenge, but didn't bother watching them go. Some of Narcissa's blood hit my face as her next leg began to tear and I grinned, satisfied with my spell choice.

The spell that I had used, the one she was currently suffering from, was a very Dark, very old spell. You had to hate someone to an extreme level, like the Unforgivables, to be able to cast it.

It was a dismemberment spell. Back in Medieval times, this was a capital punishment. They would tie your limbs to four horses and pull you in four different directions until you came apart. Well, this spell was a slight modification of that. It worked slowly, on one limb at a time. First, it ripped the skin and muscle, and then it broke the bone, making it viciously painful.

I smirked as I heard her other leg break before it joined it mate on the ground. More of her blood poured out now, some of splashing on me. I just laughed crazily. "Now, I want you to think about all that you did to Draco. You raped him, used him; degraded him! How dare you, you fucking cunt! You're gonna die, Cissa, slow and painful, and I'm gonna watch. Draco will live with what you put him through for the rest of his life and I'm gonna make you suffer for it." I hissed at her, knowing she could hear me even as she screamed though her pain.

Her arms were next, and she screamed so prettily as they were detached slowly. "I always knew I'd bath in your blood, Cissa. That it would be on my hands. And damn if it doesn't just warm my heart that my wish is finally coming true!" I laughed again.

I enjoyed watching her suffer so much that I started scaring myself. I had always known I was a little Darker than most, but damn, this was a little bit past insane.

This didn't stop me, however, from watching until the very end.

All of her limbs were on the floor and she was almost dead. I had cast another spell on her to keep her awake the entire time she was being pulled apart and now she was almost out for good, nothing left but a bloody floating torso. I smiled as I spoke again.

"Goodbye, Narcissa. I'll make sure to fix all that you broke in _my_ Draco," I slipped my wand into my hand and pointed it at her. "I'll see you in hell, one day." I smiled at her as her eyes met mine, the light almost gone.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _The Dark magic coursed through me pleasantly, my smile insane as I watched the green light leave my wand and strike Narcissa's chest, the force knocking her last breath from her painfully.

And with that, Narcissa Malfoy was no more.

I was sure I looked awful. Soaked in multiple people's blood, especially Narcissa's, I bet I looked more than a little bit insane.

Oh well. I smiled as I said the Point Me spell and made my way to the others in the dungeons.

I followed the hallways until I reached the dungeons. When I got there, Lucius was out of his cell, looking like shit for a man who always looked immaculate. He had Rose in his arms, talking softly to her with their foreheads resting together.

"Your wife's dead." I said as a way of announcing my presence to everyone.

Lucius looked over at me, seeing my blood covered clothes and hair, and smirked. "Good. I hope you made her suffer."

"Oh, believe me, she suffered." I smirked in remembrance, almost getting lost in the memory that happened only moments ago before I shook myself again.

"Where're Harry and Draco?" I asked quickly, remembering why we were here.

Severus answered my question, his voice cool, calm once more. "Draco was given a portkey to Hogwarts. He was badly injured and needed immediate medical care. Harry," he said, pointing to one of the cells. "Is in there with Ron and Emmett, who is healing him up as best he can."

I bit my lip, worry replacing all thoughts that I had before. I nodded at Lucius. "And you? Are you alright?"

His face softened into a smile. "I'll be fine, Bella. Draco is safe, that's all that matters." He replied.

I nodded again, sharing his mind set. Draco was safe and now, so was Harry, and this would all be over soon.

Walking to the cell, I stepped in and knelt down next to my little brother. His eyes were tired, but determined as he looked up at me. "Hey, baby. How you feelin'?" I asked softly, though I could feel that he was better than earlier.

Harry nodded his head and gave me a small smile. "I'm okay. Emmett said I should be alright in a few days."

I glanced up at Emmett and nodded my head. Harry wasn't lying when he said he was okay. I could feel that he was not in any crippling pain anymore. "Good. But, Harry… We're not done here, you know that right?"

Again, he nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm ready for this to be over, that's for sure."

"Alright then. I'm gonna teach you how to use something that you've never used before. It's how you're gonna kill Voldemort." I looked over at Emmett and he handed me a semi-automatic pistol like mine. I handed it to Harry.

He took it cautiously, not sure what to do with it. He looked up at me in confusion. "You are going to use this to kill Voldemort, Harry. One shot in the right place and it'll all be over." I said softly.

Harry eyed the gun in wonder for a moment, before his gaze hardened in determination. "How do I work this thing?"

I smiled proudly at him. He was in so much pain and he was still ready to go up against a fully grown wizard that, even with my training, he wasn't ready to face. It had me awed by the strength my baby brother possessed.

So, I showed him how to load the gun, how to cock it, and how to shoot. He was adorable as he watched intently, his eyes wide with wonder as they always were when I taught him something knew.

I knew that he must have seen a gun before, he was raised by Muggles, but being taught how to use it was different. You held a lot of power in your hand when you held a gun, maybe not more than a wand, but enough to make you realize that you chose if someone lives or dies.

I had him demonstrate how to use the gun after I had showed him so that he wouldn't get out there without an idea as to what he was doing. While he didn't actually pull the trigger, he knew how to and that was all I needed to know.

I stood and helped him up. "Are you ready for this, love?" I asked softly.

Harry took a deep breath and shrugged. "I just want this to be over, Bella. If it has to be now, then so be it." He replied just as softly. I could hear how tired he was and my heart gave a sharp pang at what he was about to do. Harry wasn't the type to kill a person, and here he was, having to do just that when he had been tortured to tears a few short hours ago.

Ron, who had been out of the way the entire time, just sitting silently and giving Harry his support from afar, came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist.

I turned away as Ron and Harry had their moment. I desperately wished I could be with Draco right now, giving him comfort. I didn't know how bad he had been, but if he had needed an emergency portkey out due to extensive injury, it must have been bad. I just hoped he was okay when I got to him.

Turning back around just in time to catch Harry and Ron pulling back from a loving kiss, I smiled slightly and held out my hand. "Let's do this." Harry's slightly bigger hand wrapped around mine and I led the way back to the others.

Having not paid much attention when I had walked in, I realized that I hadn't cared much about Alice. Finally seeing her, I saw that she was sitting on the floor with a despairing look on her face. Hermione was next to her, rubbing her back and trying to console her.

I released Harry's hand and walked to her, kneeling in front of her. "Ace? What's wrong, baby girl?"

Taking her smaller body into my arms, I rocked her as she whispered, "Fred was hurt. Badly. He and George had to go back to Hogwarts. They don't think… They're not sure he's gonna make it, Bell." She sobbed into my neck, her arms tight around me.

Knowing she wouldn't have been able to get that information from anyone, she must have had a vision about it. "Ace… Go." I said firmly.

She looked up at me tearfully. "What? But Bella, you need me-."

"And you need to be with Fred and George." I said. "Now go. We'll be alright without you. With your mind on them, you won't be much use to us, anyway." I said with a teasing smirk, trying to get her to agree.

She smacked me as she giggled a little. "Shut up." Making a show of rubbing my arm, I scowled at her playfully, glad that my attempts had worked.

I pulled a portkey from my pocket, a small piece of string that would take Alice to the Infirmary in Hogwarts, and handed it to her. "Go," I paused for a moment, not wanting to be over heard being a worried lover. "And Ace… Can you-."

She cut me off. "Of course. I'll tell him you're okay if he's awake." She whispered to me.

With that, I nodded and stepped back as she said, "Infirmary," and was gone.

I turned back to Harry, intent on telling him it was time, but a cold, hissing voice stopped me.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" I turned slowly, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I moved to Harry, shielding him.

There, standing in the doorway of the dungeon, was Lord Voldemort.

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**Hehe. Sorry I had to end it there. I was going on almost nine pages already. lol. So, what did you think? I didn't mark the torture, sorry. Again, next chapter is the last one before the epilogue... Can you guess what will happen? ;) There will be a bit of an explanation for some things at the beginning of the next chapter, so be sure to read the A/N at the top of the page before reading. :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hi! So, this is it! This is the last chapter! I have only the epilogue to post and then it is done! You all have no idea how much your reading of this story has inspired me to try harder and do better in my writing, which I hope was a success. lol. Anyway, thank you all for reading until the end, even though I took forever to update before this summer and it took two years to finish... I loved writing it, even when I was tired of it for a while there. I'm glad you all have enjoyed it!**

**Ok! So I has an explanation to give before you all start reading.**

**LOOK UP HERE, I SAY! Ok, lol. Now, I'll keep this short. I've ever mentioned Horcruxes before I don't believe, because in this story, there was only one; the one from Harry's second year. Harry was never made into a Horcrux! So, other than that, everything before 6th year is pretty much the same for the Harry Potter characters, save a few small details. lol. This is why Voldemort is still a snake faced asshole. ^.^**

**Anyway, there is your explantion. I hope you all like what I did with this scene. It isn't very descriptive in the battle area, but I added a twist to it. ;) Enjoy.**

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_This was not the fuckin' plan, god damn it!_ The thought briefly went through my mind before I was distracted.

I heard the noises of people moving slowly around me, shielding Harry from all angles. They were drawing their wands, keeping their guns hidden from view so that we still had the element of surprise.

Even aware of all this, I could do nothing but stare at the… thing in front of me in wonder. How could anyone do this to themselves? This wasn't a man. This was a… snake hybrid monster that needed to be shot on sight.

But his looks weren't all I was taking in. His magic… My god, his magic was pure evil. Voldemort… his magic had adapted to the evil inside the man, not receiving the love it needed to thrive in a good way and it had slowly morphed into something that was vicious and followed his command because it had nothing else it could do.

And there was so much of it! It filled the room around us, enfolding us in it, trying to draw us in to the evil. I shuddered as it slid like silk across my skin, finding the dark, evil part inside me and trying to draw from it.

Forcing myself to focus, I let go of the thoughts revolving around the magic coming from Voldemort in waves, and turned my attention back to what was going on around me.

We must have taken too long. It didn't surprise me any, seeing as how I tortured Narcissa for a good amount of time; we spent about twenty minutes down here healing Harry and teaching Harry how to use the gun; talking to Alice. We had wasted a lot of time, and Dumbledore couldn't hold him off forever.

This was not how it was supposed to happen. While I didn't have a real plan in the first place, Voldemort trapping us here so we had to fight on his terms was definitely not a thought that crossed my mind. I only hoped we could make it work.

Now we were stuck in a small space with an arrogant psychopath and would have to fight to the death.

Wonderful.

It was then that I realized Voldemort had started to talk.

"Come to sssave Harry Potter, have you? Maybe even get him out of here." The thing smirked with its thin lips.

I crinkled my nose in disgust before smoothing my face out. "Not just try; succeed." I said coldly.

His blood red eyes moved to me then. "Oh? And who are you?" He asked as his eyes roved over my body.

"That's not really important right now, is it? All you need to be worried about how you're gonna make it out alive." I smiled coldly at him as he laughed; a high pitched ugly sound that made me want to cover my ears.

"Oh no, dear, that isss what _you_ need to be worried about." He said with his own vicious smile.

I smiled again. "We'll see." My wand slid into my hand from its holster and I shot the first spell.

After that, I got lost in the lights of spells and magic that flooded the dungeons. I don't know how long we fought, how many spells I flung at Voldemort. I just know that he seemed to bat them all away with ease, even when my friends had joined in.

We were giving our best and he was just flicking his wand to knock the spells around. It pissed me off so much that I began to throw spells that would make him react.

And react he did when he was almost hit with a hex that would disembowel him, one that couldn't be knocked away. His eyes alit with a new fire and he began to send hexes and curses back at me.

Even as I fought with all my might, in the back of my mind, I knew I was no match for him; not with just my magical core. But his magic, however…

I was gladder in that moment that I could control the magic around me, something Harry and I hadn't gotten to yet, than I ever had been before.

Ok, some him meeting us hadn't been in the game plan, but it looked like it would work to our advantage.

Smirking, I thrust my hand out and called his magic to me. It came willingly, having felt the darkness in me already. I gently wrapped it around my hand, drawing more and more away from Voldemort until I no longer needed to keep a shield up. I was careful to keep the magic from seeping in to me; this much magic would make my core explode and kill me.

Voldemort dropped to his knees as his magic continued to swim away from him and to me. "What are you doing to me?" He hissed angrily ad he tried to draw his magic back in only to feel it resist. His magic was slowly latching onto me, loving my soothing caresses compared to Voldemort's rough use of it.

When would people realize that magic was almost human in its desires to be needed and cherished?

"Sorry, Tom, but your magic likes me more." I shrugged as the power spread up my arm and around my shoulders, wrapping around my like a jacket. I had never seen magic react this way before and it was scaring me to think that it was that desperate for some sort of affection to latch on to the first person to give it.

"That'sss not posssssible!" He said, his eyes widening in horror as he caught sight of his magic, feeling it leave his body. I wasn't making it leave him, however. I had only intended to weaken him enough that Harry could strike. It was leaving him on its own accord; something that I didn't know was possible while the person was still alive.

"Harry now!" I yelled to the boy on the other side of the room. He had been heavily guarded as the others had joined me in trying to weaken Voldemort. After I had taken over the situation, the others had just stood around Harry, ready in case Voldemort went for him. Vaguely, I realized that I had taken the decision to fight from him, but I didn't care at the moment if it meant keeping him safe.

He stepped out of the circle of people and walked slowly towards the man, pulling the slide back on the gun as he moved. "Goodbye, Tom." He said quietly, feeling what I was doing to the man in front of him. I knew Harry wouldn't like it, but it was necessary for our survival. Voldemort had been humoring us earlier, not really trying if this amount of magic he had meant anything.

Putting the gun to his temple, ignore Tom's now weak pleas for mercy, he wasted no time in pulling the trigger.

The resulting explosion had nothing to do with the gun and everything to do with Voldemort's magic. A screech was heard before magic was everywhere, searching for a person who would take care of it now that its master was gone.

All my senses turned off in preparation for what was about to happen. Before any of us could stop it, magic was seeping into our skin and into our cores, expanding them to make room for the new power that was filling our bodies. It hurt so much that I dropped to my knees, not being able to hold myself up as Voldemort's magic made a home for itself in my body.

I had to bite back a scream that wanted to tear out of my throat, even if I couldn't hear it, as tears slid down my face. I held my hands to my chest where I knew my core sat, trying to sooth the ache that built there as the walls stretched to their max.

Every wizard and witches core was smaller than it could be, for this very reason right here. It wasn't uncommon for magic to search for a new home after its original master died, and it would make itself comfortable in whatever body, building, animal, etc. that was around. In this situation, compatibility mattered not because the magic coming into a person's body would morph itself until it was compatible with the person's own magic.

The good thing about this was that it would stop filling your core when it bottomed out and there was no room for more. If it didn't, our cores would explode and we would die; what I was afraid of earlier.

Finally, after I don't know how long, the pain stopped and my senses returned. I snapped my eyes open and, after a moment of dizziness, looked over at Harry first, seeing him on the floor and holding his chest much as I was mine. I was a bit worried because Harry didn't need any more magic; he was powerful enough as it was, but the magic wouldn't give him more than he could handle, which eased my mind a little.

Taking inventory of the room showed me that everyone was doing it. I knew their senses must have come back by now, the magic having dissipated from the room and into a vessel, but everyone was different and sometimes it took a longer time for people to relax.

Giving them time to come back to themselves, I turned my attention inward to my core. Finding it quickly, I gaped at what I saw.

My magic and Voldemort's magic was slowly twining together, Voldemort's magic taking on the characteristics of my own. My core was bigger than I ever thought possible and the evil magic that had once resided in Tom Riddle was now the same soft grey color mine was. I could feel the magic's contentment with the love it was feeling from my own magic, the magic embracing each other and… well, cuddling, if you would believe it.

Soon, I couldn't tell them apart and I knew that Tom's old magic was now mine. I could feel the extra power now pumping through my veins, could feel the tingle in my fingers as it readied itself for use. I laughed in disbelief as I brought myself back out and into the dungeons once again.

By now, the others had come around and were rubbing absently at their chests. Lucius and Ron moved as one and grabbed Rose and Harry respectively. Severus and Emmett shook themselves from their stupor and stood shakily. I followed their example and moved toward my dad, needing to be sure he was okay.

Losing all sense of decorum, he pulled me into a firm hug. He pressed his face into my hair and breathed deeply as I snuggled into his chest, enjoying the comfort.

"You okay?" I asked softly, my voice muffled by the material of his robes.

"Mmm." Was the only response I got and I laughed gently, pulling back and looking up at him. He had tears in his eyes as he bent to kiss my forehead.

A throat cleared behind us and we looked over at Emmett who was looking down at a pile of ash at his feet, the results of Voldemort not residing in his own body, but a magical made one. "I'm pretty sure Voldemort's dead." He said needlessly.

I laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too."

Pulling away from my dad, I made my way over to the door. "Can we get the hell outta here now?" I asked the room and received eager nods from everyone.

I motioned for Lucius to take the lead as we left the dungeons, his hold on Rose not relenting.

We moved through the Manor swiftly, wanting to get to the others to check on them now that the moment was over. We made it to the front door without a hitch and moved out onto the steps that led to the yard.

I heard Harry gasp at the carnage that lay before us. There was blood everywhere; bodies were strewn across the grass and gravel that was the pathway we had come up earlier. Heads lay without bodies attached, limbs were thrown everywhere.

However, I didn't care about any of it, just as long as it wasn't someone I cared about.

Speaking of someone I cared about… I watched as my dad pulled an arrogant looking Jasper Whitlock into his arms, kissing him for all he was worth. I couldn't keep the smile off my face if I had tried.

After that, the reunion was in full swing. Sirius and Remus were running up to us with smiles on their faces, other members of the Order were coming towards us, trying to shake Harry's hand, but were rejected by Sirius who was protecting Harry from the well-wishers.

I tuned it all out as I moved over to Sirius and Harry, who were hugging like they'd never see each other again. "Aw, can I join the group hug?" I asked teasingly, causing them to look over at me.

"Get in here, brat." Sirius said, ignoring my blood covered clothes and he and Harry pulled me in between them and held me close.

I sighed in content and cuddled Sirius' chest, amazed at myself for my ease with which I touched the two men. I still remembered the time when I would have done anything to get away from them.

We let go after a while. "What happened out here after we went in?" I asked Sirius.

He breathed out roughly and gestured around him. "It was a bloody mess. The Aurors arrived after a while; Merlin knows how they knew to come, probably Dumbledore somehow. They went in as we finished out here with the Death Eaters. Voldemort was nowhere to be found, but they found a few of his followers dead and some alive, trying to escape."

Sirius paused and suddenly smiled broadly, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "They caught Wormtail. He's been brought in for questioning and I should be free by the end of the week."

Harry and I grinned widely. "That's great, Sirius!" Harry said as he threw his arms around his godfather with whom he now shared blood. "Can I move in with you, now?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course, pup! Don't be silly. And you're welcome to, Bella." He turned and smiled softly at me.

I returned the smile and said, "I appreciate it, but I think I'll be rooming with Draco." As I said this, Draco entered my mind again. With all the excitement in the dungeons, I had completely forgotten that I needed to get to him.

Sirius seemed to read my mind. "Go, love. We'll be fine now. Everything will be fine now." I nodded, relieved.

Turning away from the pair, I moved to Jasper and through myself onto his back, holding him around the neck and kissing his check sloppily.

"You ok? And everyone else?" I asked in his ear.

Jasper laughed at me and relaxed from the tense position he had adopted when I jumped on him. "Yeah, we're all good. You?"

I nodded. "I'm good, but I have to bail out. Draco was hurt real bad and I have to get to him. Can you handle this from here?" I asked as I dropped from his back.

He turned to look at me with an eyebrow cocked. I nodded and smiled indulgently. "Of course you can. Thanks, Jay. Love you, big brother." I said as I hugged him again.

"Love you too, darlin'. Now go to your man, would you?" He said with a laugh as I blushed and scowled.

Stepping back, I took out my own portkey and said the activation word. I got one last look in at the people I was leaving behind before I was pulled away by my naval.

I landed in the infirmary by the door of the long hall. The magic must have sensed that I didn't need a bed and put me here. Ignoring everything and everyone around me, I began to search for my Draco, my fear and worry finally pushing its way into the forefront of my mind.

I yanked open curtains, hearing a woman yelling at me, but not caring; my only thought was getting to Draco. I was at the end of the hall when I heard it.

"Bella…" Was choked out from across the room. Turning quickly, I laid eyes on the man that I loved for the first time since the night before.

"Draco!" I was across the room and at his side before I even realized I had moved. I sat gently but swiftly on the side of his bed and place my lips on his busted ones in a soft kiss, trying to convey all that I had felt all day.

Finally allowed to give in, I began to cry as I laid gentle kisses across his face, paying special attention to the bruises and cuts, broken sobs leaving my throat.

I repeated his name over and over again, my emotions getting the best of me, not being able to hold it in any longer.

"Bella, I'm sorry, so sorry… I love you… So sorry." Draco whispered, his hand coming up to my neck to hold me against his lips.

I let him, kissing him with all the passion and love I felt for him. My tongue slipped into his mouth and twined gently with his own, trying to control my sobs of relief that Draco was ok.

Finally pulling back, I looked him over. He was badly bruised; his body was shaking, probably from continued spell use; his lips were busted as though someone had hit him too many times; he looked as though he had once been covered in blood but had been cleaned up since he got here. There was probably much more damage, but I didn't want to see any more.

I rested my forehead against his, trying to keep the tears at bay and hold in the sobs. He had suffered so much at their hands.

"You figured it out." He whispered roughly, his throat raw.

I shrugged. "I know you. I know how you think." I whispered back.

"I still expected it to take you more than a few hours. I thought I'd be stuck there longer." He said his fingers working the tie from my bun. Succeeding, he began trying to pull the tangles from my blood spattered hair, the strands falling like a curtain to separate us from the world.

"I thought you'd hate me… that you'd believe what it looked like and not come for me." Draco whispered fearfully.

"At first, when I woke up this morning, I had thought that you had left because you had got what you wanted. Stupid, I know, but with everything I've been through, I could hardly think of anything else. It wasn't until I was taken to the headmaster's office that it hit me that something may be wrong. But I never believed that you would take Harry for Voldemort, Draco. Not once." I whispered firmly, kissing him gently.

His smile could have lit the room. "I knew you would get it, that you'd figure it out. I tried to warn you but I was wary to tell you too much."

"They threatened you with me." I said, already knowing it to be true.

He nodded, grimacing as it hurt him to do so. "And father with Rosalie. He really loves her. Just like I love you." He said seriously.

I smiled gently and bent my head down to kiss him again. Pulling back, my face became fearful. "I… I killed her," I whispered, almost afraid to voice it out loud. I knew he would know who I meant. "She told me what she did to you this morning, and I couldn't control it. I tortured her… before I killed her. I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I don't regret it."

I met his eyes slowly and saw that they were… happy. "Good riddance to the bitch." He said strongly, his voice full of the contempt he felt for her.

I sighed in relief and smiled at him, my eyes twinkling mischievously. "I can't wait until I can show you who you really belong to." I whispered seductively as I leaned down to kiss him once more.

He chuckled against my lips. "Mmm, me either." He mumbled against my lips.

I laughed happily as repositioned myself to rest my head on his chest. Finally, I had my love in my arms and no one was ever going to take him from me again. No matter what happened now, we'd get through it together.

"I love you, Dray. Always." I said softly from my place on his chest, looking up at his face with a smile on my lips.

"I love you too, my Bella." He said, his eyes meeting mine as he returned my smile.

Sirius was right. Everything would be fine now.

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**So? Thoughts, questions, concerns? I'm not gonna play too much on their power boosts, simply because the story is over. The only thing left now is an epilogue, which you will get tomorrow. **

**Again, I wanted to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following my story. Your enjoyment of this story is the only thing that kept me writing it, because I was getting a bit tired with it. So, THANK YOU! Your thoughts always mean a lot to me, and I appreciated every kind word I got. You following it until the end had made my summer, no doubt. ^.^**

**Now, with that said, the epilogue is tomorrow. :) **

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


	41. Chapter 41

**Ok! Here it is! The very last chapter ever to be added to this story! It took me two days to write and another one to edit to my liking. It is also the longest chapter I've ever written to one of my multi-chapter stories! **

**I have enjoyed the ride of this story, loved getting reviews and knowing that you all liked this story to the end made me smile every time. ^.^ Let's keep it that way until the very end, which is at the bottom of this page... **

**WARNINGS: Rather... kinky sex, actually. I didn't intend for it to turn out that way, but it did and I thought it was good. lol. Slightly mention of death. :/**

**On you go...**

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I rolled over in bed, flinging my arm around the warm body that I had managed to move away from some time during the night. I sighed in content, my eyes still closed; I wasn't quite ready to get up from my comfortable position yet.

Even if I didn't want to get up, I should have realized that going back to sleep wasn't an option. Old habits die hard, I guess. Sighing again, though this time in resignation of my predicament, my mind turned, unbidden, to the last few months.

After the battle at Malfoy Manor, I had spent the next few days with Draco in the Hospital Wing, refusing to leave his side. That first night had been the worst for him, the pain of bones being mended and wounds closing keeping the both of us up most of the night, but he pulled through. He slept most of the next day with me tucked in his arms on the small bed, both of us too tired to care about whether it was comfortable or not.

Despite Alice's fear for Fred, he had healed up amazingly well and had been back to his normal joking self the very next day, holding Alice in his arms like he'd never let her go again with George doing the same beside him in the bed. The rest of the Weasley family had been there, too, sans Ron, not budging from their places at Fred's size.

After the trauma Harry had been put through, both physically and mentally, he stayed in the Hospital wing a few days longer than even Draco, with Ron there every step of the way. Emmett had done his best in the dungeons but he hadn't been able to do much with so little to aid him and it showed in all that had still been wrong with my little brother.

Edward had appeared in the infirmary two days after the battle, the only time anyone had been allowed in, completely distraught and in search of me and the rest of the Cullens. Finding us all in nearly perfect health, if not a bit bruised and tired, he had promptly burst into tears. I had nearly cried with him when he told us that he had been afraid he had lost his family. We had all gathered around him and smothered him between us, giving him comfort in the fact that we were all there, healthy and alive.

I smiled slightly as the thought of Edward made me remember his bonding. While bonded before the Veela Council, Edward and Blaise had gotten bonded in the eyes of the Ministry at the beginning of the summer. The only condition was that Edward be monitored due to his extremely rare condition with records being taken of his behavior. While not happy about it, Blaise allowed it, with Edward's consent, just as long as no harm came to his mate.

And really, no one wanted to see a pissed off Dark Veela. They didn't get their name just from their looks.

I turned my thoughts back to the first trial to take place. After his capture, Peter Pettigrew was taken in to custody and questioned under Veritaserum. He told the Ministry officials everything, and he was given the Dementor's Kiss. Sirius was brought in, received a full pardon as well as reparations for what he had been put through for nearly sixteen years.

With his freedom, we all found out about Remus and Sirius' relationship when Sirius invited us all to Grimmauld to announce their engagement. Apparently, the book my mom gave Remus for Christmas had a law long forgotten that stated a Werewolf could marry and have children with the assurance that he had a safe place to transform, and a new condition of always having the Wolfsbane potion on hand. Remus had never looked happier than he had that day.

After Pettigrew and everyone was healthy and out of the Hospital, trials began in full swing. The Death Eaters that were caught, or people who had even been suspected of being a Death Eater, were given trials and we were all brought in to testify on their behalf or against them. Severus, Lucius, and Draco were a few who had been suspected Death Eaters, but with all of our testimonies against that claim, giving memories of them spying for the Order, the charges were dropped and they were reluctantly honored as heroes.

Narcissa's death was seen as a necessity to the war when the Malfoy men were taken to trial and it was made public knowledge that they had switched sides three years prior with Narcissa staying on Voldemort's side. No one asked questions about the state she was in when they found her dead.

Her and Lucius' marriage was quickly forgotten as he made a statement about the hell she had put his family through, minus Draco's sexual abuse, and publicly proposed to Rosalie. Her smile had been radiant as she had said yes. She hadn't stopped staring at the ring for days afterwards.

As soon as the trials ended, Lucius had immediately begun the repairs on the Manor, returning it to its former glory. It had taken nearly four months, there had been more damage than I thought, but it had been completed before the end of the school year.

Harry and I finally cornered Dumbledore and ripped him a new asshole for the block that had been on Harry's magic. While he had apologized profusely, Harry, for once, hadn't been ready to forgive him. He had told Dumbledore not to bother him; that when he was ready, Harry would come to him. It had taken Harry two months before he would even look at the Headmaster and even longer before he'd started speaking to him again.

I clenched my eyes shut against the images and forced my mind away from those thoughts and onto happier things. Jasper and my dad were well on their way to marriage if the looks on their faces were anything to go by when they had seen not one, but two couples announce their own weddings. While Severus would never admit it, he treasured the love and affection Jasper showed him and would give his life for the chance to marry Jasper. I knew Jasper would love Severus' grandmother's ring, despite its slight feminine accents.

When Neville had been informed of the battle, from the papers because we had been trying to keep things quiet until the last minute, which admittedly, hadn't really helped Emmett's case with the shy boy, he had promptly smacked Emmett over the head before mauling him with a hug. He hadn't been angry that he had missed the fight, no; he was angry that Emmett had put himself in harm's way, and that he had tried to keep it from him. He had been angry and relieved at the same time and I could have laughed at the expression on Emmett's face every time Neville's mood shifted from one to the other.

About a month after the battle, when everything was out in the open, we had thrown a party. While there had been people lost to the war, almost all of the people on the winning side had made it out safely and that was something to be celebrated. We, as in Alice, Rose, Jasper, Emmett, and I, had set up our equipment and gave the students of Hogwarts a show they would never forget, before the younger years, 4 year down, had had to go to bed. Then, we cracked out the alcohol and drank ourselves stupid until just before dawn.

It was during the party, before I got so drunk I blacked out, that I learned a few things about my Slytherin friends and their partners.

As soon as Hermione had been allowed to leave the Infirmary, she had immediately gone to find Pansy. Pansy had already known what had happened, her parents being Death Eaters and all. The two hadn't stopped touching for days. Apparently, their relationship had developed right in front of me without me realizing it. Her parents had died during the battle, but Pansy didn't care. She had said them being alive would have made it harder for her to be with Hermione, what with their Pureblood traditions and beliefs.

Another development that I hadn't even seen happen was Theo and a girl from Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. He had found love in the small, waif-like girl with her blank expression and strange comments. The first time I met her, I knew they were perfect for each other, even if she was a little… out there. I knew she'd take good care of Theo by the love that shown clearly in her eyes, the only thing that ever showed in her eyes, when she looked at him.

That was also the night that I showed Draco my surprise for him. I smiled in memory, stroking the skin of my arm softly.

"_Dray? Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked him softly, coming up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist. _

_He nodded with a smile and said his goodbyes to the people he had been talking to. I took his hand and pulled him into the side room off of the Great Hall. _

"_What is it, love?" He asked softly, his arms holding me to his chest. _

_I smiled at him a little nervously, still not sure what he would think of my gift. Taking a deep breath, I stepped back and began to roll up the sleeve of my left arm, slowly revealing the ink that I had gotten the week before. _

_The tattoo was a, admittedly on the small side, green dragon whose head was bent to rest on the crook of my elbow and his body arched up to the top side of my forearm to extended down to my ring finger, his tail softly swirled over the back of my hand until it wrapped around the base of said finger. There was fire coming from his mouth, traveling up the inner side of my upper arm. It was extraordinarily detailed, the scales fading from light green to dark, making a lovely swirling pattern of colors. _

_The wings were intricately done, almost connecting as the wrapped around my forearm like a downward stroke when the giant beast was in flight. Its eyes were ruby red to symbolize the little bit of Gryffindor Draco had in him. And, right in the place where the dragon's heart would be, from the back, were the words: _

_Draco:  
my dragon, my love;  
my everything._

_It was incredibly sappy and love-struck, but it was true all the same. He was my everything, something I never wanted him to forget. _

"_Do you… Do you like it?" I asked softly, keeping my yes firmly on the tattoo and away from Draco as my fingers slid slowly over the dragon's back. _

_I was swept off my feet and pulled into strong arms quickly, Draco's lips on mine before I could even be surprised at the sudden movement. I could do nothing but laugh happily and kiss him back as he spun us around, laughing with me. _

After that, with everyone vowing never to drink again (liars), life went back to normal. For some, they had to get used to the loss of family members, and they had been offered counseling as well as housing by Dumbledore, no matter what side their parents were on. But for most, school continued on; exams were still given, classes still taken, kids still snuck out after curfew.

It was just before the end of the school year that I had been informed that Carlisle and Esme would be moving back to Britain to be with their family, who had all decided to move here. Now that the war was officially over and their children were grown and happy, there was no longer a need for them to stay in the U.S.

While I had told Sirius that I would probably be bunking with Draco, I hadn't actually been sure of that. So when Draco asked me to come to the Manor with him, his father, and Rose, I had been ecstatic. I would get to sleep in the same bed as Draco all summer and no one would tell me any different.

That had been a month ago. I had been living with Draco in Malfoy Manor for a month and the only damper that had been put on my mood was when we had found out that Voldemort hadn't, in fact, called all of his Death Eaters the night of the battle; just the ones he thought would help him win, and that there were still some on the loose, wreaking havoc in the Muggle world.

I couldn't keep the soft sneer off my face when I thought about it, but my thoughts were quickly erased when I felt large warm hands settle at my waist and lift me to straddle Draco's hips. His erection dug into the warm wetness between my thighs, making the both of us groan in pleasure.

I began to rock back and forth, rubbing my pussy against the hard length of his cock. "Good morning." I said huskily.

Draco's hands rested on my hips, but did nothing to speed me up. "A good morning, indeed." He whispered seductively.

He pulled himself up without moving me from my position until our chests were flush together, my pebbled nipples pressed firmly into his skin, forcing a soft moan from my throat.

He slowly rocked me back and forth, taking over the teasing that I had started. I don't even know why I bothered trying to tease him; it always backfired on me in the end. The jerk had more self-control in his pinky than I had in my entire body.

His lips were at my throat, sucking the skin softly. I didn't mind the bruise I knew would be there, I loved people knowing that I belonged to him; he seemed to love it too if the amount of time he spent doing this particular activity was any indication. I moaned louder now as he bit down somewhat roughly.

At my moan, he growl against my neck and flipped us quickly, pinning me to the mattress with his hips. Never before did I think I would give up control so willingly to anyone, let along during sex when I was most vulnerable, but I would gladly give it to Draco. He took my hands from their positions in his hair and held my wrists to the bed on either side of my head, reverently stroking my dragon. With a nonverbal spell, they were tied to the head board and he let go with one last touch to his name.

I groaned as the thoughts of what Draco could do to me in this position came flooding into my mind. While our sex wasn't always him taking control this way, it always made me feel the best. I knew I was safe with Draco and he would stop if I asked him to. There was just something about giving him this kind of control that made my blood boil in my veins.

"Please." I begged breathlessly, thrusting my hips up to try to increase the friction.

He simply chuckled at my attempts and scooted back a little. Damn him and his ruthless self-control!

He ran his fingers softly down my body, his touch as light as a feather. From my shoulders, down over my breast, the barest brush to my nipples; over my scarred stomach, skipping over the hot wetness between my legs. When he got to my knees, he hooked his hands under them and pushing them to my chest. More ropes came out and tied them up as well, keeping me in the position Draco wanted me in; open and exposed.

I blushed. I remembered this position well. Draco said he loved all of me, and he damn sure wasn't kidding. A shiver went down my spine at the memory of the first night he put me like this and ate my pussy until I was a writhing mess. God, I hoped he didn't do that now. Not that I didn't love it, but he always got me to very edge before pulling back and making me wait. Not my favorite thing… until I came, that is. Then it was the best thing ever, but… Damn, I'm getting distracted.

I looked down at him where he sat, fisting his hard cock looking at me with a smirk on his pretty lips. "You look so good like this, Bella. Spread out and vulnerable for me. I could do anything to you and you'd let me, wouldn't you?"

He already knew the answer to that, but I replied anyway. "Yes, god yes. Please, Dray, anything. I don't know how long I can last." He had hardly touched me this morning, and already I was on the edge of an orgasm. Maybe I was hornier than I thought when I started this…

He chuckled evilly. "Alright, love. If I give you what you want now, I intend to remember your promise of 'anything'…" He said mischievously, leaning down to place soft kisses to my stomach.

"I'll keep my promise, baby, I swear. Please, just fuck me, please." I whimpered pitifully, looking at him longingly.

His smile was pure evil as he set the tip of his cock right at my hole and thrust in roughly, his entire length sliding in with that one jerk of his hips.

Giving me no time to get used to the stretch, he began to thrust, his hips slapping against mine. I moaned at the pain and pleasure filling me, erupting inside of me in white hot burst, bright lights flashing behind my eye lids. There was nothing that could compare to Draco inside me, nothing that would ever make me feel this good.

I don't know for how long he held my orgasm off that time. Time seemed to blur together as Draco alternated between thrusting full force; rolling his hips in small circles, his cock pulling out and pushing back in at different angles; slow thrusts that had no business being in this particular fuck session; or just stopping deep inside me to tease me further.

Finally, after what felt like hours of me begging him until I was hoarse and a sobbing writhing mess, his fingers of one hand traveled to my clit, the other to one of my nipples, and with a sharp pinch to both nubs and his voice telling me to come for him, I was gone. My body stilled completely, every muscles locking as I shook, the orgasm crashing through me like a wave so fierce, it would have killed any surfer who tried to ride it.

I think I might have passed out for a moment because the next thing I knew, I was untied and being petted and held by my lover. "Ok," I whispered a little brokenly. "There might be something to this edging thing."

I received a deep belly laugh for my efforts.

About an hour and a half later, we were eating breakfast with Rose and Lucius, and Rose was smirking at me like she knew just what we got up that morning. And she probably did, the bitch knew me so damn well, but all I did was smile back and force my blush away, because I had an amazing orgasm to start the day with and I felt great.

Until, that is, a house elf announced Dumbledore's surprise arrival.

When Dumbledore walked into the dining room, I knew he wasn't here for a social visit. "A few of the remaining Death Eaters have been spotted and I would like you all to accompany me."

"Why can't you just handle it, sir? The Order is still assembled, is it not?" I asked indifferently, cocking an eyebrow at his grave eyes when he looked at me.

"They attacked a Muggle orphanage, Bella." He said softly.

At those words, all thoughts of protest left my mind and I was out of my chair and prepared to leave. Draco stood, as did Rose and Lucius. Dumbledore nodded and led the way to the door.

Arriving at the location, I saw that Severus, Jasper, Remus, Sirius, and Molly were all there. I would guess that they were the only other people who could stomach what we would likely walk into if the building in front of me was anything to by.

I could feel the residual magic leaking off of the building that looked ready to collapse at any moment. I was surprised it was still standing at all. I felt the tears pricking at my eyes but I ruthlessly pushed them back. I wouldn't cry, not here. Later, I would cry for all the young lives that had been lost this day.

I turned to Dumbledore. "What are we to do?"

He heaved a rough sigh, looking much too tired. "We will walk through; see if there were any survivors." Even as he said it, he sounded doubtful that anyone had survived today. Again, I had to force down tears. Instead of opening my mouth in fear I would break into sobs, I just nodded.

Dumbledore led the way into the building, everyone cautious as we stepped around fallen, sparking electrical wires, and crumbling walls. I don't what they did to the place, but it wasn't pleasant.

I kept my eyes and ears open, as well as feeling around for any form of life. I thanked god that I had gotten that power boost, after I had learned to control it; it made everything easier.

I tried to ignore the burned bodies of children all around me. It was sight I didn't think anyone could stomach, save for the murdering bastards who had done this. Every body that I saw that wasn't alive was another blow to my heart that was slowly ripping in half.

We were almost through the building when I felt it. I don't know how I felt it, what with the other magic that was alive around us, but I did. Before anyone could stop me, I was running down a hallway to the left of the group.

"Bella!" Draco yelled after me.

"No! Don't follow me! I don't want to worry about you, too." I said back, stopping and looking over my shoulder at him to see him stop mid step.

"I… Be safe." He said, just loud enough for me to hear from the distance I was away from him.

"I will." I said as I slowly stepped past sparks from a power line that had fallen from the ceiling.

I cursed loudly as a few of the sparks hit my exposed skin and forced myself as close to the wall behind me as possible. "Bella?" Draco asked fearfully.

"I'm okay. Get outta here. I don't know how long this building'll last and I can't fuckin' worry about y'all." They all just stood there, staring at me like I was crazy. "Go!" I yelled.

Draco looked like he was going to protest, but my dad put his arm around his shoulders and dragged him backwards towards the front door. I smiled reassuringly at him before he disappeared and I turned back to my destination.

Moving carefully off the wall I had pressed back against to get out of the way, I continued carefully down the hall, which was a lot longer than I had expected it to be. I jogged quickly for about a minute before I turned a small corner and saw a door that looked perfectly stable.

Walking slowly to the door, I twisted the nob only to find it locked. A wandless _Alohomora _later and the door popped open with a creak that told me it didn't get opened very often. My brows crinkled in confusion. A door in an orphanage not being opened?

My eyes widened as I gasped in horror at the crib, where the magical signature was coming from, that sat in the corner of the room. As soon as I had opened the door, a wailing had begun from the crib. Immediately, I moved to the side and stared down at what was in it.

A baby who could be no older than maybe 6 months with blonde hair and hazel eyes was lying in the crib, dressed in what looked like filthy rags but I noticed after further inspection that it used to be a blue onesie. The blanket on the bed was old and had holes in it. The baby's face was dirty and covered in small scratches. Looking at his nails, I found them dangerously long, realizing that's where the scratched must have come from. The smell that was coming from the baby was awful.

After the initial shock, the mother instincts that had never gone away reared inside me and I reached down to gently grab the baby. I began cooing softly, trying to get the baby to be quiet as he continued to cry.

Ignoring the fact that the building could collapse on me at any moment, I took him to the change table in the room. Transfiguring a blanket and laid him down gently, I quickly removing the filthy onesie and diaper. Looking around, I found diapers a little ways away. Grabbing one and enlarging it so that it could fit him, seeing that he had grown too big for this size, I found wipes and got to work.

The poor baby had a rash on his butt and private area from being in a dirty diaper for too long. I healed it before I wiped him, noticing that he seemed to be a little malnourished. The anger in me that someone had done this to a baby almost bubbled to the surface, but I forced it down as I continued to coo at the now silent boy.

"What a pretty boy you are. Such a good boy, not crying. I'm gonna take you home and treat you like a little prince, yes." I smiled as he giggled a little at my baby voice. Finished with his diaper, I looked around for new onesies. Not finding one, I growled softly and picked up another diaper, quickly transfiguring it into a footed onesie that would fit my little prince.

Ignoring the _'my'_ in that last thought, I gently slipped him into the long sleeved onesie, His little legs kicking at me when I slipped his feet into the cloth shoes. I looked at him with a smile as I brought his small foot to my mouth and pretended to bite it, relishing in his little giggle.

Wrapping him in another transfigured blanket and picking him up, I held him to my chest and looked around for paperwork on him. Seeing none and knowing if it had been anywhere else it was gone now, I sighed and turned my search to a bottle and formula.

This I did find, and, after checking the date to insure that it wasn't expired, heated it until it was just right for a baby, I put the nipple to his mouth and he latched on like a starving man… another wave of anger at the truth in that metaphor ripped through me.

He was almost finished with the bottle when the building groaned around me. I looked up and opened my ears to hear where it may collapse first so I could think of a way to get out.

Realizing I didn't have much time, I frantically looked around the room for anything that the baby might have been attached to before snorting at myself. The baby hadn't been changed in who knows how long, would he really have a favorite stuffed animal?

It took being hit in the shoulder by a large piece of the ceiling for me to realize that I was out of time. I didn't even get the chance to throw up a shield as I dropped to my knees and shielded the baby from the concrete that rained down around me.

The only thought in my head was a panicked and pleading, _please don't let him die, please._

I heard the sounds, knew the building was collapsing, but I felt no pain. I was confused; I hadn't shielded myself, just the baby with my body. Shouldn't I be in a hell of a lot of pain right now?

When it was over, I opened my eyes and lifted my head from where I had tucked it in order to protect my little boy. I looked up in awe at what was surrounding me.

There was a layer of magic around me like an igloo, protecting me from anything that could have fallen. The magic was pure, never used to hurt anyone or for anything bad. No one I knew could cast anything this pure…

I looked around, seeing no one who could have done it, before I looked down at the baby in my arms. His face was the picture fear, his eyes on the bottle that had fallen from my grasp during the excitement and on past that at the cement and wood splinters. I let out a short laugh of disbelief as he looked back at me and cried out, reaching his small hands for the bottle.

I could feel the magic surrounding me wasn't my own, aside from the purity part, and it felt like the trail that I had followed to this room. How the fuck was it possible that a baby could do that?

I grabbed the bottle dazedly and gave it back to my baby before standing shakily. Making sure he was still wrapped securely in my arms and his blanket, his shield fell away as I walked out of what used to be a wall and around the giant pile of cement that used to be a building.

When the others came into my view, I saw Draco on his knees with his face covered by his hands; Rose had her hands on his shoulders, but she was crying to. My dad had his face buried in Jasper's hair as Jasper cried into his chest. Sirius was pressed into Remus much the same way. Even Lucius, Dumbledore, and Molly looked distraught.

It took me a second to shake off the incredulity of what had just happened to realized they all thought I was dead.

Rose saw me first, her eyes flying open as she cried out in shock. She released Draco and ran toward me, intent on hugging me. I turned away from her at the last minute, protecting my precious bundle. "Watch it." I hissed angrily.

Rose's wiped her cheeks and looked at the bundle in my arms. "Oh God…" She paused and looked confused for a moment. "Is he…?" She whispered, looking at me for conformation

"A magical child? Yes. It's how I knew he was there." I said softly, looking down at him, moving his finished bottle from his mouth. The others gathered around me now, hearing my words and gasping softly.

Draco was on me then, his arms around me from behind with his face buried in my hair, sobbing softly. The guilt reared up inside as I realized what I must have put Draco through. But I couldn't just let the baby die. I couldn't.

"Dray… It's okay. I'm okay. Look, darlin'. Look at who I found." I spoke softly, nudging his head with my shoulder, where he had rested it.

His eyes drifted down to the boy in my arms and his eyes widened. His hands left my waist to gently touch the baby, as though he were holding him. The baby turned away from the crowd around us and looked up at Draco, his eyes wide in wonder. I smiled at the exchange and knew this little boy would be ours.

But of course, Molly just had to ruin everything.

She pushed to the front of the others, and held her hands out demandingly. "Alright then. Give him to me; I'll take over from here."

I glared at her in hatred before whispering dangerously, "If you touch my child, Molly, I'll ring your fuckin' neck."

I was sure that, if the baby hadn't been focused on Draco, he would have gotten scared. The look on my face and tone of my voice was anything but friendly.

Molly didn't seem deterred, however. "I have 7 children, dear. I know what I'm doing when it comes to babies. I can give him things that you can't. Now, hand him over to a woman who knows what she's doing." Her voice was patronizing and she held her hands out again.

Despite my reluctance, doubt crept in to my mind and heart. I knew that she spoke the truth. She had the time to raise a child, she had the space; she had the experience. I would be going back to school soon and where would I keep him? Who would watch him while I was in class? I hadn't even been able to protect my unborn child, how could I protect one that wasn't inside the womb?

"Oh hell no! Bella, look at me." Rose said harshly, already seeing me hesitate.

I looked to her fearfully, my hold loosening slightly in my doubt; not enough to drop the baby, just to make it seem that I was going to give him up. I didn't want to give him up, but what kind of parent was I if I didn't put my baby's welfare first?

Her eyes were hard and angry as she looked at me. "You are_ not_ giving him up. She may have the time, the experience, but that's being a parent; learning how to be. Yeah, you're young, but please, are you and Draco ever gonna be apart? No, you two are fucking meant for each other. That isn't gonna change."

Her voice softened as she addressed my biggest fear. "While you two are in class, I'll watch junior there. We'll figure this out, Bells, but don't you give him up because you think she'll be a better parent than you." She finished, staring me down until she saw her words sink in.

Draco spoke before I could, addressing Molly without looking at her. "You aren't taking my child, Mrs. Weasley. He might not be my flesh, but he is ours now, and you won't take him." He said, pulling me closer by his hold around me with his hands on the baby.

I looked up at him hopefully, tightening my arms on my boy once again. "You mean it? We can… he's ours?" I whispered.

Draco met my eyes. "Yes, Bella. You didn't risk your life for a child just to give him to someone else. We'll blood adopt him as soon as we can; but first, you're going to marry me." He said with a soft smile.

I didn't even blink as I replied, "Yes." I smiled back, not even surprised that Draco asked. While not romantic, he also knew I wasn't into public romance, so it was perfect.

We both ignored the others now as we looked down at what would be our future. Yes, it was early to get married. Yes, most people would call us crazy. But who the fuck cared? After everything that Charlie put me through, I never thought I'd have any of this; a man to love that loved me, a child, especially not a child; a family to call my own. And now that I did, I wasn't going to give it up. Not ever.

I had been given a new start when I had come to Hogwarts. And now, that new start led me to my happily ever after that I never thought I'd have. I smiled to myself; life was good.

* * *

**Well? Did you like it? I hope you enjoyed the little twist I added with the baby. ^.^ I've had that thought for the entire length of the story and I'm happy to see it come to fruition. **

**Let me know what you thought. :)**

**xoxo,**

**kitkat**


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